Projekt Walküre
by SmilingMiura
Summary: Set in a world where the Axis Powers won WW2, the world from the Hearts of Iron IV mod "The New Order" (TNO), "Projekt Walküre" retells the story of Evangelion with a myriad of changes, twists and with a far somber, gritty and dark humoured take on the series, with new characters and locations. It's advised you know what TNO is and it's lore.
1. Act 1

**Chapter 1**

"... Well I was born in 1944, in Karlivka... I don't remember my mother very well… she was a scientist I think, but she disappeared. My dad also disappeared. Then I was taken to the work camp and I've been working there ever since."

Why am I here?

One second I was sowing wheat, the next I'm put inside a car, a Mercedes no less, and I get knocked out with a needle…

At first I thought I was going to get shot but then Doc here asked my name and asked me about my life's story…

What the fuck?

Honestly, I think I'm gonna be experimented on like some fucking frog a kid is sticking a cigarette in to see what happens.

Spoiler alert: the frog dies.

And I'm pretty sure that's my fate as well. Seriously though, fuck that kid. That frog had no need to die, not to mention that was a perfectly good cigarette I could have been smoking. The fucking piece of shit. Kids like him belong in Germany or the Jugend or something, for fucks sake.

Good thing he's Ukrainian like me, so he's either dead or working to death.

But I'm going off track in this self-conversation of mine.

Why am I here again? Guess I'll wait and see.

"Your German is very good! So Adalbert, I assume you are wondering why you are here?"

"Y-yes sir, I am. And thank you sir"

My voice trembled. I guess I'm still afraid. Who wouldn't be?

"Well you have been chosen for a test" Oh God. I knew it, they're testing a new bullet on me. All I can hope for is that it's small and that they only need to test it once...

"Now, I also assume you know you don't have a choice."

"Yes sir, I d-do"

"We will be conducting a surgery on your neck, to install a Cortex Interface. Then you will be taken to a small chamber. There, the device will be connected, and it will be filling up with a breedable liquid named "LCL", understood?"

Uhhh…

"Yes sir. However may I ask what the Cortex Interface is?"

"Do you know what a computer is?"

"No sir"

"Well have you ever gone to the desk of a high ranking officer?"

Uh oh. Well might as well answer honestly.

"Yes sir"

"Then I assume you saw one of these things" He points towards what looks like one of those "television" machines.

"Well a computer is one of these things, put simply… It computes things, calculates things, among other things. A very useful machine. It can also control things."

Ok… I nod to him.

"To be exact, this screen is an interface, the computer itself isn't here, as it is very large in size. The interface allows me to interact with it.

"So the Cortex device allows a computer to interact with my brain directly?"

"Yes and no, the Cortex Interface allows the brain to interact with a computer.

You see, the brain is essentially a ridiculously powerful computer. And it controls your body. Remember how I mentioned the computer also controls things connected to it?"

"Yes sir" For some reason, I can understand what he is saying. He must be a great teacher.

"The objective is to get your brain to control a machine, instead of your body. Like a fighter jet"

"Now I understand sir, t-thank you for your explanation sir"

"It's fine, and could you stop with the "sir" thing? I'm not that much older than you."

"Sorry sir, won't happen again!"

Aaaannnd I said it again...FUCK.

Oh. He's laughing. Huh. I expected to be slapped or beaten.

Hang on.

They're going to stick a piece of metal on my neck, and they're going to put me in control of a machine?

I mean...uhhh. Man, this is way too complicated for me.

So I'm going to die. And be reborn in a machine?

Maybe it isn't permanent…

"So uhh s… uhh"

"Oh where are my manners! My name is Doctor Albrecht Tabhert. You can call me Doc."

He shakes my hand. Huh. I think that's illegal. For me at least…

Oh my god, is this Rassenschande? Well, I have no clue what that is, but it seems serious so I'm fucked thoroughly if it is.

And why on Earth is he being nice to me… Again, it's probably also illegal.

Doc, you're only burying me in a hole with such actions. And yourself too.

"S-so... Doc... is it permanent?"

"What is?"

"Me being in the chamber thing"

"Oh god no…hah"

"And what about the breathable liquid?"

"Well…I know it sounds weird but… once you're in there… look, it just works ok… Don't worry about it. It tastes like bl… metal and it's good for uhh… your skin. So yeah don't worry."

With all due respect… Doc... but I'm pretty sure I SHOULD BE WORRIED.

"Anyway, I know you're worried about dying but trust me, this isn't a suicide experiment. Nor is it hopeless. Not to mention that while you're here, you aren't a slave anymore. Of course most people are going to see you as one. But you can't leave the installations for that. Outside and you probably will get shot."

"Ok" Huh. Inside the installations, I'm not a slave… why?

His face turns slightly more serious.

"You know… You're a lot more valuable than you think…"

A slave being valuable? What am I? Made of gold? Well, I sure as hell wasn't made of lead, so they're not going to turn me valuable that easily.

"There's a war coming. No. There are two. One is to be expected. The other… will be far different from anything Humanity has seen before."

Ok… So doc is a conspiracy theorist… *Great*...

"And, as much as it pains me to say it, you'll be the first soldier of that war."

Oh well that's just nice, isn't it? And I can't help but wonder...

"Doctor...Will I die in it?"

"You want the honest answer?"

"Y-yes.."

"Very likely. However… you will probably die in a far more honorable than an elite soldier could ever hope for. And as a free man. If that serves of any consolation."

I have lived in fear of getting shot, tortured or worse, just because of where I was born and some vague "Nuremberg law" whatever that is. I'd say "dying honorably and free" is the best fate possible for me. So yes, that is QUITE the consolation.

Although, trying to escape the work camp would do the same. Problem is it wouldn't be certain death.

"Well let's get going shall we?"

"T-to where Doctor?"

"I'm going to show you something. Before I send you to the actual doctor."

I nod. Well, not like I have a choice. Might as well be obedient and submissive as you always have been. Isn't that right? Bert?...

We started walking across a hallway. There were guards with unfamiliar green uniforms. Without SS insignias.

They seemed a lot more… laid back... Either way they didn't care much about an untermensch as they called us, passing by.

They also had wide red eyes… and they are laughing a lot. The most I've seen anybody laugh in my life.

We finally reach the outside, and apparently we're in a forest.

A couple of guards,in the same unfamiliar uniform, stand up clumsily, as if they had awaken from sleep, and salute the Doc.

The gate they're "guarding" opens and outside, the same car that took me here.

It's a short trip 'till our next stop An airport…

"D-doctor?"

"Yes?"

"M-may I ask… where we are?"

"Pëenemunde. Pomerania, Northern Germany. Right next to the Baltic Sea. And we are about to go to an island named Bjornholm."

Great. Names I cannot pronounce…

Y'know, when someone goes to a place whose name they cannot pronounce, something bad happens…

Hang on… I was sedated. And knocked out the entire trip. And now, Doc here just told me where I am. So. They sedated me for fun. Fucking Totenkopfs, I swear, if they're not allowed to kill slaves, they just torture them.

But on the good side, I'm gonna be flying in a plane!

Instead of walking towards one of those storage houses with the planes we keep going. To my disappointment.

Wait… That's not a plane...

Is that a helicopter?

I've only seen those things when they're spraying pesticides in the fields… while I'm forced to look for diseases in the grain. Did I mention there's these assholes who spray it directly on top of us? Fucking pricks. I'm willing to bet the guards encourage it.

I guess I can't complain. It's pretty much the same thing. Just worse.

My curiosity once again prevented me from noticing a tall, young, "Aryan" looking, guy. With a white uniform. Never seen it before.

As we get closer I notice the double-S runes. Well… I guess I'm gonna still get beat after all.

The white uniform intrigues me, though.

Reminds me of a doctor's coat.

He turns to the Doc and says:

"Herr Doctor! Nice to see you!"

"You too Heinz! Nice coat, is that one of those new uniforms they're going to give us?"

"Indeed. And I see you've brought the First Child with you."

Uh oh. Hang on what did he call me?

"Well hello there, kid. What's your name?"

"A-Adalbert, sir."

"Hmmm. A German name, huh. When were you born?"

"1948, sir."

"And where?"

 _Now_ I'm gonna be beaten.

"U... Ukraine sir…"

"Huh. Looks like Albrecht here outdid himself trying to find a pilot. Now, we must go."

Pilot? What?

I hope they mean the helicopter pilot.

We enter the helicopter, and soon we are over the sea.

It's truly beautiful… I've never seen it before… so blue…

But God, is it windy… and it's cold too.

Soon we land on an island, just a few hours from when we took off.

And I assume it is this "Bjornholm", Doc talked about.

"We're here!"

I get off the chopper and follow Doc and "Hotshot" to a camouflaged Volkswagen.

The ride is quiet, just like the helicopter one.

We finally reach a checkpoint, we're allowed in,and we leave the car. We enter a bunker, and pass another checkpoint. The entire time, the guards were eyeballing me, but remained quiet. Instead of a distrustful or demeaning look, they seemed *curious*… they're all pretty young as well.

We arrive at an elevator.

Again, quiet ride…

This seems like it's their morning routine… well it probably is.

The elevator finally stops, and we walk out to a dark corridor…

Each step makes a huge echo. As if we're in a giant warehou… we are in one aren't we.

Doc, who was ahead of us, suddenly turns around, looks up at somewhere to his right, and waves, while I hear Hotshot sigh.

I look up as well and notice a lightly lit windowed platform.

And all of the sudden, I'm blinded.

My eyes finally adjust, and I realize that this is no warehouse. We're in a platform several tens of meters up from this orange lake.

"Hey boy, you're looking at the wrong place", calls out Doc. I look at him.

Then I notice what he meant.

Well shit. That's one big ass statue. Holy shit it's huge. Enormous. Jesus fucking Christ, that's huge.

"So? What do you think it is?"

"A statue to German soldiers?"

All I hear as a response is laughter.

Did I mention this is the third time I hear someone laugh?

 **Chapter 2**

"Interesting take, but no. It's what you will be inside of. Hell, if you're lucky, you might actually pilot it."

"Pilot it?"

"Yes. This is a Walküre. A Valkyrie, the ultimate machine of war. Nothing known to man can destroy it. There are only three that we know of, that exist, and have functional capabilities. You see, these things weren't built by us. We found them. Some 20 years ago. Which allowed us to knock the USA out of the war. We found their engines in the hundreds, and quickly found that they could serve as small, low yield "nuclear bombs", if mishandled."

I'm willing to bet they accidentally dropped one.

Hang on a fucking second.

How would I pilot this?

How does it even function?

Why was I even picked?

Why me?

This towering, armor-clad, grey "statue", seems like something straight out of a sci-fi magazine.

Honestly I'm in awe at the size of this lad.

They attached an oversized helmet to it, along with these smaller twin towers on top of each shoulder.

It's body is V-shaped, with what seems like hard muscles. The hip is strangely thin, it almost seems cartoon. Again. Straight out of some strange sci-fi mag.

And the head is just… terrifying…

A very long chin, hexagonal "eyes", each with three red stripes, two going from the border of the "eye" perpendicularly down, and one going up. Serrated "teeth" (at least I hope they aren't), and two "horns", one bigger than the other, just above the forehead. It looks like a carnivorous rhino.

Well it sure has the armor. The chest plates seem extra thick, and so do the ones on top of the shoulders.

The neck's back is protected by several diagonally positioned plates, parallel to the Stahlhelm's neck guard. The pattern continues down the spine, reducing ever more.

The entire thing was painted grey, at least from what I could see, with it being sideways. The same color used in the armored cars, just outside the farm/camp…

Is this some sort of panzer?

"How would I pilot this?"

"Well if you were selected, you would be piloting it from the back of it's head."

"I se… How would I see?"

"Good question. You see the eyes?"

"Y-yes"

"Once the machine is turned on, your own eyes are "turned off" and your brain starts receiving the images from the machine's eyes. Once the machine is turned off, you would go blind for a while, while the eyes are "turned on" again"

"And how do I communicate in it?"

"We're going to configure it so that, when the brain wants to speak, instead of sending the signals to the muscles of the mouth, it sends them to a computer. Then the computer translates the signals into text. Which we then receive."

I notice Hotshot looking at his watch.

"Doctor, it's time." He was staring at the lower levels below us, the entire time.

"Well Adalbert, it seems we must go."

"Y-yes sir."

For some reason, the reality that I'm going to get a metal plate installed on my neck hasn't hit me. It should any second now.

We go back to the elevator, and move up a bunch of floors. I then notice that there are 100 floors. All going down.

100 floors.

100.

How on green fucking Earth did they manage this without the entire thing collapsing?

I smell bullshit, must be some sort of propaganda, like how they tell the Volksdeutsche we are "well treated" in the "farms".

The damn Valkyrie was at least 100 meters tall. Had to be. The ceiling could barely be seen, yet the lights were still blindingly bright.

Hang on, did they turn off the lights, in what is essentially a construction site. With people still working on it. Something tells me they're slav… yep they have to be slaves. I swear, the Germans must be the laziest people on the fucking planet.

But, that would mean, that I am important enough to grant a surprise.

A surprise.

What the actual fuck.

These guys must be psychopaths.

We finally arrive on the hospital floor, and we go along this never ending corridor. Nurses chat with doctors and soldiers. The soldiers flirt with said nurses, to which, one got slapped.

I nearly felt the urge to laugh, but I knew if I laughed at a German soldier I would get my ass kicked in. The source being years of experience, from looking at the newbies, each time a Totenkopf slipped on a turd, human or not.

They lead me to a room, and then leave, not before telling me to get ready for the anesthesia. I take off my clothes and put on the ones for the surgery.

It's funny how little control I have over my life.

These men have full control over my life and death.

Even despite the, supposed, fact that I'm "free", I still get ordered around.

The nurse arrives with the needle, along with a wheelchair.

No words.

I sit on the chair. And my world disappears.

I'm awake again.

My neck hurts.

It hurts.

My God it hurts.

Stinging, as if my neck was stabbed. I'm still on the wheelchair.

I feel the cold metal. It's unnatural. Surreal. One of the nurses around me, turn the wheelchair. Another brings a smaller mirror.

I can see it. A circular plug. It looks like a wheel.Is it just me or does it have gold on it? It's in a silver color, with several little sticks.

I pass out. The pain is so intense. Immediately I'm on a bed. It's night. The pain alleviated quite a bit.

I'm on some sort of cell, but it sure as hell is more luxurious.

Bed sheets. An actual bed. A bunk bed, and I'm on the bottom. There's a small window in front of me.

It's weird.

There's no Moon. Which means I'm still underground. Only weird lines crisscrossing the horizon. With lights moving along them.

Trains?

If so, then this place is a lot bigger than I thought. That is a lot of open space. But what for?

My neck still hurts like hell, though, despite the alleviation. But my head is heavy, and, again, I somehow manage to fall asleep.

The next day, I wake up to someone knocking on the door.

"Hey kid time to wake up, the Doctor wants to see you."

Another unfamiliar voice. Young, but loud. Surely a soldier.

I wake up. I'm still in those clothes. I quickly pick up the clothes I was supposed to have dressed.

Hang on shouldn't I be resting? I just got a surgery.

And I can't move my head properly. The damn thing forces the joint of my neck with my head to be completely straight.

I finally get dressed and notice there is a mirror. I'm in a uniform. A black uniform.

It has barely any insignias on it, only a strange patch on my shoulder and the obligatory eagle.

A white shield, with three red stripes, straight through the middle, along with five stars directly below, positioned along the outline of the bottom of the shield.

Am I apart of the military now?

More knocking.

"C'mon you lazy piece of shit, get going!"

"Yes sir!" I open the door and salute out of fear.

I see a young man, probably not a lot older than me, with a beard, blue eyes and black hair, and large bags under his eyes. He looks a lot older than he is. I know this, since I remember some colleagues of mine, that were in their 20s and looked like they were 50.

"Why the fuck are you saluting me? Even if you were in the Wehrmacht, you would be higher rank than me! Get your ass into gear!"

"Yes sir!"

"Hold your damn horses, do you even know where you're going?"

"uhhhhh"

"Great, just great. Follow me."

"Y-yes sir"

I step outside and realise I'm in an apartment.

An apartment.

An underground apartment.

Someone knocked on my door, instead of kicking it.

What the fuck is going on.

If this is a dream, I'm going to kick my brain in.

We finally reach uhhh… Ground level, and we get into a UNIMOG.

I used to drive one of these things. They're rugged as hell, basically tractors that could go a little faster. Still, "rugged as hell" means nothing in the fields of the Donbass. They sunk in the mud a lot too, not to mention they hated the dust. Needless to say they broke down because of this, quite often. Whose blame, was put squarely on us.

"You must've thought that the uniform meant that you were military or something didn't it?"

"Y-yes sir, it did"

"Well, how much did the Doc tell you?"

"That I'm a test subject of some sort"

"Well then he is probably going to explain the rest to you when you get there. By the way, I'm Johannes."

"N-nice to meet you, I'm…"

"I already know who you are…"

"Yes sir..."

He goes quiet for a while.

"Tell me… how harsh are they over there in Ukraine?"

"Ummmm"

"Don't worry this isn't bugged"

"Oh, ok… Well… Some seem to enjoy punishing us. And they can do whatever they want."

"I see. Well, you'll be living over in that apartment. Imagine me as your landlord. I'm also your legal guardian. Don't worry, I won't be over your shoulder too much."

"Legal guardian?"

"Yes, in order to make you a member of this organisation, we had to make up a brand new life for you. We were lucky that you already spoke German and had a German first name. And no parents. In essence, we're declaring you Aryan by ancestry, and German. We made up some bullshit about some Volksdeutsche great grandparents you have."

"I understand...M-may I ask why I was picked?"

"... Well… I'll be honest with you kid… this is dangerous. And we couldn't just get a normal German kid. People would ask questions, his parents might speak out or something. There aren't many orphans in Germany to start with you know. But, again, to be honest with you. I think they're not telling me something, nor you, that led to you being picked."

"I see."

"This place is plagued by secrets and "confidential information", a lot of things, we little men, have no idea about. The WALKs are very complicated machines, a lot about them is unknown. Hell, there are rumours that they're not even machines at all, but aliens of some sort, or a monster. Hell, some even call it a demigod. Crazy shit."

Well isn't that great. Just fucking great.

WELL AIN'T THAT JUST FUCKING DANDY, AIN'T IT? I'M A FUCKING GUINEA PIG. GREAT. JUST…

Just…

Just great…

Oh God, is the damn thing going to eat me alive?

Am I a fucking tribute or sacrifice to some random Norse god?

"By the way, you're probably going to get a colleague."

"Huh?"

"There are three WALK units. One is still early in development, which is WALK 02, yours, which is ready, is WALK 00, then there's the WALK 01. And the pilot is being picked for 01. They want to mass produce these things, somehow, and the 01 unit is the "Absolute Pinnacle of Human Engineering", the final production model, as the engineers from Krupp, Farben and Rheinmetall keep blabbering on about. So, it's going to need a pilot, which is going to be assigned to the same uhhh, apartment? Yeah sure… So yeah."

"May I ask if you know who he is yet?"

"No idea who he is honestly. He or she. I heard you kids are rare, so they probably allow girls as well. And the other thing that bothers me is how young you are. I was expecting some sort of veteran or random pilot, but no. Just a Ukrainian kid. A former slave no less."

Oh yeah… Why from all things would they pick a child? Isn't it a horrible idea to put a kid, a Ukrainian slave no less, inside a several billion mark war machine?

Who the fuck even came up with this BS?

And former? I went from a farm slave to a guinea pig. Not sure if that's an improvement.

We finally reach our destination, the General Headquarters. The building has huge concrete pillars, with few windows. The entire thing looks like a prison. Just like the apartment.

Despite its looks, it's bustling with activity, people in uniforms rushing about through the metal corridors, with metal suitcases and paperwork.

The entire place looks like a bunker, and the layout probably looks like a maze.

The walk to the, what I assume would be, Doctor's office, is long and quiet. Not one word is said.

Johann suddenly stops, and turns to this door.

"We're here. Herr Doctor?"

He knocks.

A faint voice from the inside says: "Yes come in."

He opens the door and enters, with me following suit, right behind.

The office is about as plain as you can get, except of course for his desk.

There's one of those "computer terminal" things on the right, an actual pile of paperwork on the left, a mug with a BMW logo on it, and a book named "Experimental Biology and Gene Editing" by a certain Joseph Mengele.

"So we meet again, Adalbert."

"Y-yes sir."

"Well, in a few hours we will conduct the first tests. We call them Activation Tests. You're going to need to put on a "plugsuit". It will probably be strange at first. You'll get used to it. You will enter a special cockpit, which we call an "Entry Plug". A technician will accompany you and connect you to the machine. Understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Then we will fill the Entry Plug with a breathable liquid, called LCL. Again, it will be a strange experience, but as long as you don't think about it, you will be fine."

A breathable what now?

"Then you await further orders."

"Yes sir."

"Now for some legal explanations. You are now part of an organization named GEHIRN. We are officially a public-private partnership between the German Government, Krupp, Rheinmetall, the Quandt Family, IG Farben and Siemens. We have the objective of developing the Valkyries into viable machines of war…"

I understood nothing of what he just said. As expected. But suddenly he stands up and walks to my side starts messing with the back of the Computer, and detaches something.

"Now for the unofficial part."

Oh.

"There are beings that want to kill everyone."

Jews? That's what they always told me, at least. Then again, coming from them, it's probably bullshit.

"These beings, which we call Lindwurm, seek to destroy us and repopulate the Earth with their own offspring."

Is this guy drunk on his own political ideology?

"And we are going to need to fight them. And when I say that they want to destroy us, I mean all of us. All."

Hang on. You're going to have a 17 year old slave save the fucking planet? Hmmm… Yes, this does sound like bullshit.

"Uhhh…"

"I know how it sounds. I had to explain this to the OKW, so imagine what they thought."

"Am I fit for this?"

"It's not a matter of being good enough, it's a matter of having no other choice."

"I see…"

"Now…" He stands up.

"Oh right…" Johan, so it seems, was sleeping the entire time.

"You will be taken to the test chamber, and do what I have briefed you to do, understand?"

"Y-yes sir."

We leave the room. The Doctor wishes me good luck before splitting ways with us and entering an elevator.We reach what looks like a locker room.

"Get changed. Dress the plug suit, and watch the time."

He points to this clock in the end of the locker room.

"I need you to be changed by 8 o'clock, got it? It's 7:54 right now, so get going."

"Y-yes sir!"

"I'll be waiting outside."

I'm used to tight schedules. We had 5 minutes to get from our "beds" to the field we were currently working on. And it could be across the street, or a mile away. Needless to say, they used our late arrivals as an excuse to beat us.

We are so weak.

The plug suit is finally put on. It's painted a darkish grey, and apparently doesn't suit my size.

2 minutes.

"By the way you have to click somewhere in order for it to fit, don't know where."

Oh.

"Thank you!"

Where?

I noticed there's a band around my right wrist.

I click on one of the buttons. Nothing happens.

"1 minute!"

The other one doesn't do nothing either.

Less than a minute.

Last one. Suddenly the whole suit tightens and envelops me.

"I'm ready."

"Just in time. Let's go."

I step out.

"Heh."

Uh oh.

"It looks just as ridiculous as I thought."

I had to wear pajamas, all day, everyday, in my "work place", I've been in worse situations.

"Let's go, we have to be there by 8:30."

We walk at a steady pace. This "plug suit" doesn't protect me from anything does it. I can feel a breeze on my skin, almost as if I'm naked.

We reach an elevator, and he clicks on the -98th floor.

-98th

We are going from the -54th to the -98th.

Wow.

The ride is… surprisingly quick. We reach it in less than a few minutes. I swear, I felt something funny in my stomach.

Stepping outside the elevator, I see the same… uh… Valkyrie? But… we're not in the same place as before… Uh-huh.

Magic, I guess.

"Let's get going, you see that ramp to the right?"

"Y-yes"

"Go"

"Yes sir."

I go up the ramp, where there's a technician waiting for me.

"Climb up." he says, and I follow.

I climb up what I assume is the Entry Plug, and I encounter a really dark place.

It has no windows. Only a few gauges, measuring things unknown to me, and a seat.

Behind it, hangs a ridiculous amount of wires, of all sorts of colours. I can barely see anything in it. All the light comes from the outside, through the open hatch.

The technician tells me to lay down on the seat, with my head down.

I do so, and he connects something to my neck implant. He lays my head down carefully and tells me not to move.

He then stands up, and leaves. He shuts the hatch shut.

Quiet.

Nothing.

For some long minutes, nothing.

Until I get knocked out by, what I assume is, another drug, and fall asleep.

At least I think I did because the next few seconds, I am in the top of the fucking world.

My field of view is so fucking large, and so fucking high up, it's ridiculous. I can't move anything, not even my eyes, and I hear distant voices… And ringing.

"Pilot's view has been synchronized. Commencing muscle movement sync process." a female voice reports.

"Keep it slow. Go one by one." and Doctor retorts.

"First stage done, moving, eyes should be operational."

"Hello there Adalbert!"

Oh shit.

H-hello.

Hang on, where are the quotation mar… I mean, why did it stay in my head?

"I know you can't answer, it's going to take a while longer for that. But I know you're there."

Ah.

"Keep trying to move your eyes. Eventually they should work."

I guess I'll keep trying.

Hey, I think I can.

"Very good. Now we're going to transfer you to the surface."

What.

"Initiating launch sequence."

Nooooo, that is never good.

"10"

Nope.

"9"

C'mon

"8"

Don't do whatever the hell you're about to do

"7"

Please

"6"

C'MON MAN

"5"

STOP, YOU'RE FREAKING ME OUT

"4"

WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN

"3"

HALT.

"2"

No please, c'mon man

"1"

And I slip into unconsciousness, not before hearing a large whistle and bang.

 **Chapter 3**

"Obergefreiter Schwarz, reporting for duty Sir!"

God, I can't be late to something like this.

Why is that bitch Helga giggling?

Oberst Heinz Mayer who is sitting in a seat in the back with that smug white uniform says: "We're not in the Wehrmacht Schwarz, at least not yet. And this is the third time I see you, why are you reporting again? Was the pißwasser really that strong?".

And now everyone's laughing.

Oh fuck me. I did the same mistake as the kid. Ugh. I blame the fucking ranks and uniforms. I miss the desert ones.

Oh Johannes, you fucking idiotic airhead, right in front of the fucking Oberst.

"And if you care about it, you're a Major now."

Oh. Do I get a better paycheck? I hope I do.

"I see you've finally arrived?"

 _sigh_

"Yes I have Doctor, may we go on with the test?"

"As you wish. And as you can see, WALK 00 has arrived at the surface."

He turns to Monika, the "plug monitor".

"Now for the pilot's status. Is he still unconscious?"

"Yes sir, we can give him an adrenaline injection."

"Do so."

"Horst" He turns to the "Screen Technician".

"Yes sir?"

"Turn the Reflexvisier on."

"Yes sir."

The HUD display pops up on the massive plexiglass panel in front of us.

"Is the speech conversion ready?"

"Yes sir"

"Horst?"

"The receiver is also ready."

He sits down and turns his head to me.

"Schwarz."

"Yes Doctor." I sit down and position a mic for me. "Hello Adalbert, are you there?"

I look to the screen in front of me.

A "YES SIR." shows up on the left side of the screen.

"Is the movement ready?" The Doc asks.

"Yes sir."

I take my cue to give the order: "Adalbert, try walking 5 steps. Don't think about how to walk. Just walk."

"YES SIR"

It takes a while, but that thing I never thought would happen, happens.

The WALK walks. One step, that's it.

Another. The hands move to give him balance. It almost looks like he's walking through deep mud.

I hear something to my right, a sensor technician gets up from his desk and moves towards the Oberst.

He murmurs something to Mayer, with a dire look on his face. Mayer gets the same look.

Could it be?

If so we're fucked. We are not ready.

Not ready whatsoever.

But nobody seems to care. Can't blame them.

It's not everyday you see a (only) 120 ton, 80 something meter tall monster walk.

Nervousness fills the air. It's suffocating.

I sneak another glance at Mayer.

His face is now one of worry, and thoughtfulness.

I think too.

Whatever it is. That dragon or whatever they call it… They say it probably won't look like one.

They don't know where it comes from, what it wants, what it actually is… No. They know damn well what it is.

They just won't tell us.

The Oberst speaks.

"We've spotted a Lindwurm off the coast of Gotland. It is underwater. We cannot tell its shape."

The nervousness is replaced with wide eyes, and fear.

The Oberst looks at me.

"Inform him of the situation. Rush the training. Cancel the test."

"Very well sir…"

We are so fucked.

"Pilot." I call out.

"We have a situation here. The Lindwurm we briefed you of..."

I take another gasp.

"Has been spotted."

Dead silent.

Everyone looks at the screen.

We have countermeasures installed in that monster.

Massive pressurization increases to knock or kill the pilot. And a nuke next to the engine.

Just in case the pilot rebels.

A few seconds pass. They felt like decades.

"YES SIR. REQUEST ORDERS."

That's one issue over with. He obeys.

One.

I lean closer to the microphone. An unnecessary but instinctual move.

"Can you run? If so, then try to jump as well. Then try to throw a punch."

I aggressively ask the sensor tech. "What's the ETA?"

"Uhhhh…minus 7 minutes, sir!"

I stand up and turn to the Oberst.

"Sir."

"Major you are now in tactical control of the field operations of the WALK."

"Understood sir."

A formality. It's great for getting you into gear.

I look to the screen again.

The WALK is jumping.

And comes to a halt.

Then throws a punch. And falls on its side.

That was one big shockwave. An entire cloud of dust rushed into the air as a result.

Another test.

Can it get up.

Anxiousness is added to the atmosphere.

The monster rolls head down, and uses its arms to get itself up.

Just like a normal person.

A 120 ton one.

Good thing the island was emptied completely of all natives.

It tries to throw a punch again. It nearly loses balance but it recovers.

Progress.

But then I start thinking.

Why use this thing against those things.

Wouldn't a missile do the same thing.?

Even if it can't, how is this thing any better.

So many things don't make any sense.

"What the fuck even is a Lindwurm?"

The Doc tells me: "It's a mythological serpent, or a dragon if you wish, that could fly. It's just a codename. We have no idea about the shape."

Great.

Is it just me or was this kid in a fight before.

It's throwing punches like a street brawler at the air.

"Throw a kick." I tell him.

It...no...he does so. It's a strong one. Not very well executed but you could see the power. It would break the enemy's body… as well as his leg.

How the fuck is a 120 ton monster throwing kicks?

I just can't understand any of this. Shouldn't that thing sink in the ground? There's no way in Hell the group can support that weight, in such a small area. Well… that thing's feet are huge.

Still…

I check my watch.

Minus 3 minutes.

"REQUEST ORDERS."

Whatever the hell that thing is, it's fast as hell.

Too fast.

"Face to the Northeast."

"YES SIR."

Whatever. If we die today then so be it.

2 minutes till Armageddon or whatever.

"Does the WALK have weapons?" I ask loudly.

"Yes, a Dane Axe in the Right Pilon. And a knife in the left."

An Axe?

I communicated this crucial information, that he should've already been told.

He opens the left pilon, and takes out a knife.

A vastly oversized Nahkampfmesser. Quite familiar with them. A bit too much.

Good old cut and thrust. Simple to use.

I've been in bad situations before. The few excursions I did into Kazakhstan prove so.

But this…

If they're not bullshiting me then THIS is a true bad situation.

Having an inexperienced kid piloting such a machine…

Are we that desperate?

Said kid is playing with the knife. Checking the shape, and staring at the edge, with those fake windows.

He then proceeds to cut his finger on purpose.

What the fuck?

"That was an expensive pair of rubber gloves. Bastard." a technician complains.

Why did he cut the finger? Was he… checking the edge of the knife?

I've seen people doing it before. Experts.

How the fuck does that kid know that?

Maybe we're not that fucked.

Maybe.

Minus 1 minute.

The WALK looks into the horizon…

Is he ready?

Are we?

All of a sudden he stores the knife in a small holster that deployed from the leg.

And takes the axe out.

Not too much longer now.

He does the same test. It's a lot sharper.

The monster picked it's weapon of choice, and stores it again.

And I can't help but wonder.

Who's actually controlling it?

A silhouette rises from the sea.

It looks just like the WALK.

A beast, the same height as the WALK, with a strange black rounded and vitreous armor, covering most of the body. The head is essentially a helmet, not to different from the stahlhelm. While the face is covered by a featureless mask.

And it steps up from the cliff.

I haven't noticed the awe in the air.

And pure quiet terror.

The WALK doesn't strike just yet.

It's afraid. No. He's afraid.

Can't blame him, not to mention it's to be expected.

"Let it strike first." That way we can measure its strength.

The standoff continues for a long time. A few minutes.

In the meantime I ask Heinz the thing's codename.

"Fafner. By the way, WALK 00's callsign is Siegfried"

Huh. So we're going with the Nibelungenlied or whatever, huh…

A loud bang.

Fafner punches Siegfried. The hit was so violent, a shockwave could be seen.

His head doesn't react as expected. It resists the strike, putting his left foot back so he didn't fall from the blow.

Fafner quickly retreats. It was also measuring strength.

But how did it resist such a blow? He should have collapsed on the spot.

"Go for the engine, it should be somewhere near the center." I tell him.

"UNDERSTOOD SIR"

The beast pulls out a red crystalline sword from its back and charges.

Sieg instinctively puts his arms in a cross shape for protection. Not that it will help him.

Fafner strikes. The sword cuts through the arm like nothing until it reaches bone. And stops. It couldn't go through. Fafner takes the sword out and retreats a few steps.

Sieg slowly moves his arms, in obvious pain.

I call out to Monika, who's visibly shaken by the violence of the blow. "Display the sync ratio on the screen!"

"Y-y-yes sir!"

It's at 127%.

127%

It's too damn high. Way too damn high. It's starting to quickly lower though.

"When did it get so high?" I call out to her again,while moving to her desk.

"Um, right when the strike occurred. It reached a peak of 213% right before the strike!"

The arm is bleeding. Red.

So it isn't a robot of some sort. Called it. But.

At such a high sync, he might have suffered it too

Damn. Those were some strong bones though.

The thing charges at the WALK.

"Is the AT field operational yet?"

"It should be sir, but I don't think the pilot knows how to use it."

"Damn it. ADALBERT USE THE AT FIELD!"

I don't think he will figure it out on time.

Fafner lifts his sword upwards, with it releasing some sort of red steam. And strikes. The WALK doesn't have anything to defend itself with effectively, and put its arms in a cross shape again.

The same trick, whatever it was, doesn't work twice on it though.

And the sword goes straight through the bone.

And his left wrist falls on the ground.

Fafner raises his red saber once more. and cuts the front of his chest diagonally, from the shoulder to the hip.

The armour detaches and cracks like glass, and the skin and meat beneath is dragged, wrinkled and eventually tore apart.

And the thing has skin and meat, isn't that great.

Hang on. What's the syn…

Oh.

215% and lowering.

"What happened to the pilot?"

"He was knocked unconscious sir!"

Good God…

The Valkyrie falls on the ground, with a massive cloud of dust rising from the ground, due to the shockwave and impact.

"Activate the self destruct preparation codes, now!" the Oberst shouts.

And Fafner stands tall above it's fallen foe. Sword facing downwards, he stabs the blade on the engine spot.

Or at least…

Tries?

Holding the blade with the left hand in mid air, the struggle starts between the two monsters.

The WALK doesn't seem like it's ready to back down, even with a knocked out pilot…

It shouldn't be able to move on its own should it?

"It's going Berserk?"

Oh great, they knew it could happen so they gave it a name. Great.

"Status of the pilot?"

"Still unconscious..." I hear Monika murmur a "how" and "why" shortly after.

There's no time for such questions.

Siegfried breaks the mouth restraints, and let's out a deafening roar.

The entire bridge crew is, as a whole, shocked at the unexpected gore of the fight.

Siegfried jolts the sword up and pushes it away from Fafner, making the monster fall on Sieg, not before Sieg knees the monster's chin.

That must've hurt. I haven't felt this much adrenaline and excitement in a while. Even though the fight is so far away. I guess this is why generals do their job so badly, huh. They just want some fun.

Siegfried frees itself from the monster and painfully stands up, and grabs the saber.

The beast gets up, painfully.

It's the Valkyrie's turn to charge.

Saber in hand, it brutally slashes through the left arm, and left side of the chest, until it hits the bone. The saber was apparently on its last legs, and shattered in the impact.

However the handle still had some blade left.

And Siegfried intended only using it.

Sieg aims for the neck. Fafner tries to grab the attacking arm, with its last hand, but it's out of strength.

The blunt edge of the broken blade brutally smashes and crushes the side of the neck.

The beast screams, through the mask.

The blade pushes forward, finally puncturing the skin. Sieg rushes to the beast's back and brings it down. Then takes a sort of dominance position and grabs the handle again. Once, the edge wrinkles the skin, as it rips through the neck, but it breaks completely before reaching the windpipe.

"Blood" sprays and gushes out in the hundreds of liters onto the battlefield, a road with a Cliff nearby.

Is it just me, but…

Is this... thing...sadistic? A beheading, seriously? Is it nuts? Because I swear I see a grin... Maybe it's a monster out for blood and revenge, for some reason… or a Demon.

I'm used to these levels of gore. My father was a butcher and a hunter, so I'm used to seeing animals, cute ones at that, dying in horrible ways, and my combat experience in the Eastern Front only made me insensitive to gore.

The Oberst doesn't seem disturbed at all though, if not entertained, but…

I worry for the others… these levels of brutality might be too much for them. Luckily, it seems they mastered the art of looking away.

Monika is crying a lot though. A lot… Good God, I hope she's not traumatized. Oh, who am I kidding, we're witnessing the worst type of beheading: slow-throat type.

It'd be no surprise if she was.

In the meantime, Sieg grabbed it's knife, and stabbed next to the broken blade lodged in the things neck, still screeching and crying in pain.

It stabs deep, probably reaching the spine. Then, as if it was sawing a tree, it cuts through the windpipe, and the rest of the neck. The beast stops screaming.

He then cuts the spine, again by sawing it off.

He then rips the head off, and throws it to the nearby sea.

Sieg kicks the beast to turn it on its side. He locates the position of the engine and stabs it. Repeatedly.

The stabbing goes on for longer than poor sweet girl Monika could handle, and finally stops.

The WALK powers down, knife still in the monster's heart.

"It deactivated on its own."

"I guess we get to live another day." says the Oberst nonchalantly, and seemingly undisturbed.

Sadistic bastard.

No one is celebrating. None of those that were so enthralled and morbidly curious about what an actual beheading looks like, is looking away.

I still feel bad for these guys. They should've never been exposed to this.

I know those things aren't human but… God…

It was a long time, the last time I saw one of those beheadings.

I don't think I'm going to sleep.

Poor Monika. Poor poor girl. The same goes for the ones that were looking away and covering their ears.

That thing… What will it do if...no…

That thing will probably take down everything that comes its way.

What will it do when our use for it is gone. Will it kill us all?

The damn thing has to be sentient.

"Today's deployment was a success. You're all dismissed."

"Yes sir" I answer for all of us.

I leave the room. Everyone is quiet.

The shock is too much.

That was capable of adding a few mental scars to anyone.

I drive home. Adalbert's status barely crosses my mind. The blood does.

I take a detour and go for the surface.

I make up some BS about being on a late night errand, and drive around the island.

I reach the battlefield and show the responders my badge.

I stare at the monster. This death machine.

I put on the required anti-contamination suits and walk around it.

The First Lindwurm Defeat of this godforsaken war happened in the very small village of Saltune.

Or so the coagulating-blood covered plaque calls it.

"And this was only the first one…" I mutter.

I have a feeling, that we're fucked either way, independently of winning or losing this battle "for survival".

Wasn't that the same excuse for the Zweite Weltkrieg? Something about "threatening our race"?

I have trust issues with anything government related. And there are good reasons for it.

The scientists go around picking up chunks of flesh and bone.

I wonder how much they know about this whole situation.

I leave the place and go back home. I saw enough carnage for a lifetime.

Home… heh.

This place might be a gateway to hell for all I know, and I'm calling it home.

 **Chapter 4**

"How's the kid?" I completely forgot about him.

I must be the world's greatest guardian.

"Whatever it was, it healed him. All he has is scar tissue in the supposed injury locations. He's still unconscious, but he should wake up soon."

"I see, and uh… how are you? You didn't seem fine, back in the bridge."

"I'm fine Johannes, thank you for asking. Nothing a Pervitin can't fix, in the least."

"You know, I heard it does some bad stuff to your brain. I wouldn't take it very often, if I were you."

"I'll be fine, really. Well, goodbye, see you in the meeting. Please attend it Johannes, it's important."

"Fine… I will… Well, goodbye Monika." She hangs up.

Keep taking those pills and see what happens to you, dammit. That shit will destroy your brain.

They used to hand those out to us. Only tried it once. I thought I was in heaven. And trust me, if you feel like you're in heaven, in the middle of a frontline, then there's something seriously wrong with you.

It helps in combat nonetheless. But you shouldn't rely on it. You'll get addicted, and if experience is anything to go by, you'll feel invincible to a point where you walk through a minefield without thinking twice.

I leave the apartment. Yesterday was a bad day. Good God… I haven't seen that much blood since my dad scored two dears.

I get in my car, and drive to the HQ. I hate meetings.

One question remains on me, though.

In the midst of the chaos and confusion that was watching that butchery, I noticed the AT field was never activated. At least the Fafner's one didn't.

And another thing… That saber couldn't go through Sieg's bone, but it could go through Fafner's?

And why did it go "Berserk" on it? Does it do that, if the pilot gets knocked out?

That would be both reassuring and terrifying.

And the creepiest thing is… if the blood was coagulating… which it was, it turned that distinct ruby-colored cloudy red, then…

Those things are alive.

And those fuckers kept going on and on about how the WALKs themselves would be invulnerable with that field.

I need answers, dammit.

I finally arrive. Oh what secrets do you hide, almighty and magnanimous and yet unprotecting, glorified office building-bunker.

I say the usual hellos to everyone it is required to do so, and only to them. 2 years, and I still feel like an outsider.

This entire organisation just has… something fishy to it…

I could tell that, the moment I came here, after retiring from the 1st Motorcycle Battalion in the 7th Panzer Division.

I still remember the day I joined the Heer.

1st of April, 1952. Ten years ago. Good times.

But God, was von Manteuffel a gigantic cunt. NO, I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING RUN AROUND IN A SHOT UP BMW THROUGH A FUCKING FROZEN FOREST IN THE MIDDLE OF RUSSIA.

Fucking reconnaissance. Remember kids, never apply for the motorbike battalion because it has bikes in it. It's a fucking trap.

I finally arrive at the room.

Doctor, Oberst, a bunch of lab coats, and a certain, beautiful plug monitor. She must be able to perform some sort of miracle on my eyes, because they feel so at ease looking at her. She is the definition of an eye rest.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), it's hard to stare at someone when you're sitting right next to them. So I'll have to hold off on it. The Doctor welcomes me.

"Hello Major, I see you've arrived just in time!"

"I deeply apologize for the delay, Sir."

"No worries. Now. We're all here because of the WALKs actions and the AT field issue. Anyone has any ideas on what went wrong?"

Nobody answers.

"Good thing I do have an idea on the AT field. Monika?"

"Yes?"

"The pilot's sync ratio increased immensely just before the wrist strike correct?"

"Yes Doctor. It increased to 213%, just before, and during the impact."

The Doc continues, "I watched several recordings of the impact of the blade on the bone. One of them was from the WALKs point of view. And in it I saw some sort of barrier form between the blade and the bone. I believe the AT field only activated to protect its internals. That blade was perfectly capable of cutting through bone. But it didn't because of the AT field. I've already requested for a projector to be brought here."

"That would be an explanation for the bone incident, however that doesn't explain Fafner's lack of AT field reaction. It should be capable of it as well."

"I have no answer to that one."

This gonna be a boring one.

"Major! What's your take?"

And they're determined on not letting me sleep.

"Doctor, I believe that is outside my field of expertise."

"Very well. I assume no one else has a clue on the AT field? I guess not, so we'll move onto the next subject: the WALK going Berserk. Any ideas?"

Everyone is quiet. Needless to say barely anything is actually known about these things.

In my opinion, all we did was domesticate them. And I'm not sure we succeeded.

The Doctor lets out a sigh in exasperation.

Mayer speaks up.

"Oh God, you're all useless. What the hell am I going to report to Speidel?"

Everyone remains quiet.

"That we can't control this insanely powerful weapon, and that it might go Berserk on us again, for no reason? May I remind you all, that the only reason you weren't sent to your deaths, was because of this project. If it weren't for us. You would have no reason to exist, and you would die."

Mayer continues.

"To reiterate. This place is the only reason you pieces of shit are breathing, eating and pissing. So make sure this fucking hell hole doesn't become a fucking tomb for all of us. Get your shit together and your brain working. That is the only reason you're alive. Or need I do yet another refresh on how this glorious Nation of ours doesn't like intellectuals."

Long ago, have I learned not to mess with a Colonel. Especially a young Waffen SS one.The younger the officer, the more ruthless, smart and unpredictable they are.

The Doctor intervenes, with a calmer tone.

"Think outside the box, this is far beyond the realm of normal or mainstream science. I expect much from you."

The Doctor sighs again.

"You're all dismissed, except for you Johannes."

My heart stops. I can feel Monika looking at me.

The Oberst talks.

"Johannes, how much do you know about your father?"

"N-not that much sir. Only that he was called Kleiner Schwarze, was apart of an SS department of sorts and was often in North Africa. He loved hunting, and prepared the meat of the animals he hunted, and often sold it to colleagues. Then he died from unknown causes, when I was 8."

The Doctor answers.

"Your father was apart of the Ahnenerbe institution of Military Scientific Development, a precursor to GEHIRN. In 1942, the Ahnenerbe sent him, and a team, to Tanganyika. There he would find the first Gleipnir."

"Gleipnir?"

It's a type of archaeological site, which is essentially a giant sphere buried underground.

It contains forests, flora and water, identical to the one that is present in the location of the Gleipnir. This place is a Gleipnir. We called it as such, as there were runes found within that called mentioned Gleipnir consistently."

I remember studying a little bit of Norse Mythology, and I know that Gleipnir was the rope or cord that held Fenrir down. That's a very ominous name. And probably accurate, considering the absurdity of our situation.

"Anyways, your father died while exploring them. He was also the inventor of the cortex interface. In essence, he was an expert on the connection between pilot and "machine"."

I could feel those quotation marks on "Machine".

"And he left a lot of notes behind, in an apartment he had in Danzig. I want to send you on, what is honestly, an errand, over to your father's house, and retrieve all of the notes you can find."

What?

"With all due respect Doctor, why me?"

"I'm a firm believer that people can unconsciously hold memories from very early on in their lives. I know that you lived in that apartment, as there are photos of a young you in it. You were 4. So you might just remember were he kept the notes."

This is such a bullshit reason. They just want me away for a while, to conduct a really fucking shady activity, when I'm not looking, just so I don't suspect a thing. Bastards.

I think… Maybe they're telling the truth.

Maybe.

Well, a week away from here will only do good. Danzig is a nice city, so I could just see the sights, while I'm there.

"Also."

Uh oh.

"The Second Child, along with WALK 01, is getting ready for transfer. She will be here by June 30th. Today is the 13th. You need to be here before then. Understand?"

"Yes Doctor."

Mayer speaks.

"There'll be an Do 26 waiting over in the docks, in Nexø. Be sure to be there by 10 o'clock in the morning, tomorrow."

"Yes Sir."

"Dismissed."

I leave the room.

The Second Child… The daughter of an SS official accused of homosexuality and depravity and a bunch of other things, and a whore for a stepmother. Her actual mother, a Norwegian, hanged herself, after a psychotic breakdown. Or so they say.

Erika Jensen. A 16 year old, ash blonde, blue eyed girl, that lived alone in Ost Paris.

Ost Paris huh. Fucked up place to live alone in. Rumors say the streets and houses are empty. And the stores are barely ever open.

I wonder what her personality is like. There's nothing mentioning it.

It's getting late, so I better head home.

 ** _To be continued._**


	2. Act 2

**Chapter 5**

Hospital again huh. Guess if this shit keeps up, this will be my second home.

Oh well.

Heh, I wouldn't mind, this is the comfiest bed I've ever been in.

And hey, a magazine.

 _Signal_ huh. Some sort of military magazine. Hey it's a UNIMOG on the cover!

I start reading it.

It's funny, I was always told to take the fact that I was taught how to read by the Kommandant's wife as a blessing. And they weren't kidding. I even know how to write.

Despite everything… I'm one lucky motherfucker.

Anyways. It seems in the "big city", the ability to read is taken for granted. So they weren't teaching the natives on purpose. No wonder.

A book is a great way to store a thought. Being able to read gives you so many possibilities.

And writing allows us to store our experiences.

That woman had a heart, when most didn't.

I remember how I when I was 6, I think, and got sent with a bread crate on a bike (the only thing I was ever taught at that point, by the people inside the farm was how to ride a bicycle, so I could deliver things, and later on, how to drive), to the big building in the forest. That woman opened the door to me and smiled, looked around, and gave me a piece of the bread I was delivering.

As time went on, I was asked to help around the kitchen, cutting onions and peeling potatoes, along with taking out the garbage, and the woman taught me things.

Apparently she was a teacher, and had no children. So I was in effect, her kid.

The Kommandant, to my surprise, completely ignored the fact that his wife was teaching a slave how to read. It was strange, but I got a feel that he just didn't care about his wife, to a point that he didn't care about her actions.

So, from 6 to 12, I worked there, as a servant.

I wish I could praise the Lord for it, but it's obvious to me there is no God, because, despite my luck, the others weren't so well off.

The beatings were something else…

If you were caught doing something suspicious or were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong guard, you would be beaten.

…

Then there was the Butcher.

I remember well, when he cut the Old Man's right wrist off. With a lopper, that we used to prune the apple trees.

…

The Old Man Alexei, was like a granddad to us. He taught us how to do our job.

It's funny that he was actually just 45 years old. But he looked the part.

…

It broke us. Further than we were already.

It all made sense. That was the objective.

To make us weak.

…

And we were weak… Too weak to stand up, to weak to fight.

We _are_ so weak…

…

Why did he cut it off?

Well. Maybe he caught the Butcher in a bad mood, looked him the wrong way, or the Butcher just felt like it.

Either way, the Butcher was a sadistic piece of shit of an Oberkapo, given far too much authority. No other way to describe him. He had a thing for whipping people. I was whipped. Everyone was.

The Kommandant liked him, and, apparently, he was a German soldier apart of some "Einsatzgruppen", and that he committed _"_ Rassenschande" _._

No idea what both of those are, but he was allowed to have a whip for some reason.

…

So much evil. If we really are saving the world…

Does it deserve saving?

Not everyone is evil, but… Do the few make up for the many?

In the end, it's not for me to decide, is it.

Anyways.

Here I am. A "freeman". I doubt I actually am a free man here but, fine.

The food is good. The beds actually exist. The air is pure, without the chemical stench from the I.G Farben factory near the farm I was in.

…

 _Was._

It's in the past

Miracle. Either that, or this is some sort of apology in advancement for what's about to come.

Yes, it's most definitely the latter. It must be, considering the situation I was in a while ago.

The Valkyrie… It felt so strange… A comfortable warm feeling, despite the cold outside, _that I was somehow feeling._

I remember feeling the wind and seeing the world from high up. I remember moving around, and feeling heavy.

I remember a black silhouette. And fear.

I remember pain.

But I'm used to it. You learn that pain is an imaginary thing, that tells you if something is wrong with you. So you learn to focus on the spot for a moment, you acknowledge the warning, and forget about it.

Not as easy as it sounds, but it's crucial for survival. Easier to learn when you're fighting in a barn…

A door knock and consequential opening takes me out of my train of thought.

"Hello there, I see you're awake! How are you feeling?"

A blue eyed brunette suddenly appears through the door.

"I think I'm healed." I answer meekly, admittedly embarrassed. She is quite beautiful.

"That's good to hear! I'm Monika, the plug monitor, your guardian, Major Schwarze, had to go somewhere for 10 days, and I was told to check up on you." She reaches out for a handshake.

My hand hurts, but it's not world ending.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry, I-I uh, forgot about your hand. Sorry."

"O-oh, it's nothing."

You're too kind. Literally. Again, this might be a crime, being kind to a slave.

"Well, you should be sent home soon, there's a metro you can catch outside. Take the metro, and ride it till you reach the… Südwesten Station. There you leave the metro and the apartment should come into view. By the way, here is your card." She hands out a white ID card.

Wow, it has my name on it, and a photo.

A really old photo from when I was like 5, but I appreciate the effort.

The card reads: "GEHIRN Pilot, rank Gefreiter".

Huh.That was a quick ascension through the ranks.

"Well, what's next... oh. Tomorrow we're going to conduct another test, a sync test in this case. Show up in the Nord Station. The HQ is right next to it. Show your card to the lady in the desk in the Main Hall, and she will give you instructions on how to get to the Sync Test, ok? Be there before 8 AM."

"Yes ma'am."

"No need to call me "ma'am", geez, I'm only 4 years older than you... Well, see you tomorrow!"

She closes the door.

Another test huh… Guess how last one went.

She is also oddly friendly… A running theme I guess.

I go back to reading it.

I get to the UNIMOG page. It talks about how rugged it is. It's true, but it doesn't like dust, and heavy duty work. I wouldn't expect them to say that, though.

Ours also had miniscule fuel tanks, so we couldn't escape in them.

I remember driving these things. Despite the beatings you got if you broke it, and you would break it eventually, it was fun. Hard to steer, but at least it helped grow the muscles.

With the little amount of food you were able to eat.

I was well fed. Again, I was one lucky son of a bitch, so I got slightly better food. Each time for a different reason.

…

One day, I was loading some stuff on to one, and they grab me by the arm, and told me they had a job.

 _"Fight this kid and knock him out"_

It was a way to get more and better food. You were thrown in a 7x7 cage. Sometimes they even gave you a knife.

They usually only did that if you were experienced. But if you were _forced_ in there?

 _You_ wouldn't be the one to get the knife. You would come out of there dead.

The objective of the Kommandant was simple.

There was some sort of special brigade stationed nearby, led by someone named Kaminski, and they needed _entertainment_.

"Gladiators" was his answer. Because that's the first thing that would come to anyone's mind when they think of entertainment.

The kid I had to fight...

Some poor kid, quite a bit younger than me, scrawny, shorter…

I could tell. He fucked up.

And I was supposed to be the hangman. Why?

I was pretty damn scrawny? I was tall… Is that it?

 _"If you don't, we'll fuck you up worse than he would if beaten by you. Way worse."_

I don't recall the battle very well. Or I just don't want to.

I remember a few punches. I remember his kicks.

I can remember his tear-filled eyes.

Each punch…

Was so difficult to throw.

I wonder.

What did I do to deserve privilege.

Why do I get to be treated in a Hospital, in a clean white room, with all the equipment…

With everything.

And they…

They get nothing. They get pain and misery the likes _I've_ never seen.

All because of shit we have no control over.

They died, because of shit they didn't do.

And sometimes because of shit I did.

One day I was called in again. I needed to knock someone out. And I was given an old dirty brown knife.

Another kid. He had no knife.

The blood on my hands.

The clapping and cheering.

Another day I quietly sobbed in my bunk.

Another day that work distracted me.

I stare into the ceiling.

The shit I did.

 _The shit I did…_

 _…_

I don't deserve anything. I don't deserve the privileges I got. Of being taught how to read. Of being treated like a fucking human being.

The fact that that was a privilege, only shows how fucked up this whole thing is.

Nobody deserved the punishment that was given there by the few.

And the few didn't deserve the privileges they were given.

…

Well this got depressing quickly.

One positive thing came out of that cage.

Being able to effectively brawl.

Again, I was one lucky piece of shit, and they got some old soldier to train me. His name was Hans I think.

Back to the subject, he trained me on how to use a knife, how to throw a punch and a kick.

And how to resist pain. I already knew a thing or two on the subject but he explained a _lot_ to me. He was also strict. But I'm used to it.

I trained for 3 years. Though, I can get knocked out a bit easy if the opponent hits the right spot.

Why did they train me though?

What is there so special about me?

I'm just a random kid from Ukraine. Like what the fuck.

I mean… Is it because of my family or something? Something they know, but I don't?

I honestly don't know.

You know, for someone in the Hospital, I sure do feel fine.

Strange...

Nothing to do…

I go back to sleep.

…

A door opens. A nurse appears. She quietly takes the tubes connected to my arm, and tells me I can go now. She also gives my uniform, and quietly leaves.

I put on the uniform now with the rank sewed on the shoulder.

I leave the room.

I reach the station in front of the hospital.

So this is a metro station huh. An underground tube with trains in it? There's not many people here besides guards. There's a mural on each side, depicting the "Wehrmacht's glorious victories."

There's a lone blonde, long haired woman in uniform on the opposite platform, legs crossed, sitting, back to the mural, smoking.

Smoking was a common sight in the farm. The guards had a steady supply of them.

The guards here notice me, but don't care, though some throw me some curious looks.

An unusual experience.

I look up and notice a screen with times in it. They count down the time till the train arrives, apparently. Cool.

I sit down, 3 minutes till the metro arrives.

It's weird walking around here without worrying about guards.

This place. What even is it?

...

Great now the kid's image is stuck in my mind.

Fuck me.

…

I smoked whenever I found an unfinished cigarette in the ground.

It was rare, so I couldn't really get addicted. But now…

I just don't care about them. There's a better "landscape" to look at now, far more relaxing.

I love to observe, the way things work, and other people. They have their own thoughts, problems, like me.

For some reason, it's fascinating. Crazy to think about really. Not to mention mind-blowing.

So many people. So many other "me's". This world is so big.

The metro arrives. It's painted red with a white stripe straight down the middle, in the sides.

Only one person leaves the train. An ash haired girl, in a grey jacket, and a grey long skirt, carrying some baggage. She looks around and turns to me, heading in my direction.

"Excuse me, do you know how to reach the Nord Station?"

"N-no, I'm new here, sorry. There's a map upstairs though." I say pointing to the entrance.

"Urgh, thanks" Says the strange girl, in an annoyed tone.

Strange. She's not a lot older than me, I think.

I enter the metro. And she has a weird German accent. Never heard it before.

Wow this thing is fast. The inside doesn't have a map, so there's the explanation to why she didn't know the Station. Having looked at the map when I arrived I think, Nord Station was the HQ? I wasn't sure enough to answer, so I just pointed her to the map.

Hang on…

Nord Station? That is the HQ, fuck, I could've told her.

I look out the window. Not much can be seen. Just a strangely metallic tunnel. No rock. Just metal. Until we leave the tunnel.

And a breathtaking scenery can be viewed. There's forests and lakes.

Damn.

This place is huge. The HQ can be spotted, and there's a strange pyramid that can be seen in the distance. There's a square shaped hole in front of it, with the one of the sides of the pyramid continuing down the hole. It's like it's an inverted sunken pyramid but far larger.

I finally arrive at the Südwesten Station.

Now it has a mural depicting a Volkswagen.

Huh.

I head outside. You can hear birds. Huh. Birds in what is literally a cave.

I just... don't understand… how?

Whatever. Let me just head home.

 _Home_. I never had one. Heh, now I live underground I guess.

The streets are deserted, without any traffic.

I finally reach the apartment. I then remember.

Keys. Well fuck me sideways and call me Helga, I don't have the keys.

Now that I think about it…

There's no lock on this thing. There's this weird metal thing next to it with a card symbol. It's telling me to slide it through the thing?

I do so, and it works.

Huh.

The apartment is like I remember it, with its grey walls, grey everything.

It does look like a luxurious cell.

Whatever. Can't complain.

I close the door behind and just go to my bed, and lay down.

God…

I'm bored.

I go out again. There's gotta be something to do.

I notice there's a bicycle which isn't locked.

Huh.

I have seen some people riding them. I'll do the same, why not. There's gotta be something to do.

I start riding it along the street.

For a cave it sure is beautiful. This scenery.

…

I reach a store of some sort. Apparently it sells books, magazines and… models?

Huh. I did like building things out of sticks.

Oh.

 _Money._

Well fuck. Might as well look around.

A UNIMOG model. Oh hell yes.

I'm gonna memorize where it is.

I'll be back for you, baby boy.

Then again, how do I get money? Do I have a salary? Probably not. Hmmm…

I'll ask Johannes later.

I then notice the girl from the metro. Huh.

She notices me as well but doesn't seem to care. What is she doing here?

Small w... _cave._ Yeah, let's call it a cave.

I get on the bike again. I ride for a few good hours.

I finally come back. It seems it's night time.

Hang on. If we're in a cave… Then how is there night and day…

Another mindfuck, great…

I lay down in the bed, and go to sleep, not before setting the alarm clock to 7 AM.

…

Hnnn… Fuck.

Oh well, better an early bird than a late one.

I get myself ready, and get my ass on the bike.

I ride 'till the metro station.

Nord Station was it? Anyways, the metro arrives and I get on it. There's far more people here, than yesterday. The carriage is nearly full.

I spot the girl from yesterday. Is it just me, or does she stick out like a sore thumb? Not that it's a bad thing, on the contrary…

She is drop dead gorgeous, Jesus.

That long hair, and blue eyes… perfectly shaped face…

C'mon Bert, a crush on a German? Are you _that_ suicidal?

I just look down.

…

The metro reaches Nord Station, and I quickly step out. I learned that there's nothing worse than being late, and being early is encouraged.

I go up the stairs and surely enough, the bunker known as OberKommando is across the street.

I enter, and, again, surely enough there is the lady in the counter. How did I not notice her, the first time?

I show her the card and ask about the sync test.

"Oh, so you're pilot… Oh well, it's in Wing A, room 125. There are maps on the halls and corridors, use them for guidance."

"Thank you." I go towards the nearest map.

So. Wing A is to the left corridor. Wing B is center corridor. And Wing C is in the right corridor. Simple enough.

I go along Wing A, looking at each door. After way too long, I reach room 125. Earlier in the corridor, there were lots of people, but now, there's no one.

But… There's been a constant sound of footsteps behind me. I grab the door handle and look to my left.

And I see the girl from earlier. Huh.

Ok, what the fuck is going on.

I open the door for her and say "Ladies first?".

"O-oh, thank you…?"

She enters and so do I. Holy shit that was a nice save, high five subconscious!

Is she the new pilot?

To my surprise I see Monika leaned against the wall.

"Hi! I see you two came together, he he."

The girl steps forward with an expression of someone who is about to kill someone. And trust me, I would know.

"Monika?!... Explain. Now."

Monika completely ignores her and introduces me. "Adalbert, this is your new comrade! Say hello to Erika!"

"Huh." says Erika in obvious disappointment, after a good long bored stare.

Thanks a lot.

"And Erika, this is…"

"YES, I've heard it. So you fought Fafner huh."

"Y-y-yes, I did."

With that much embarrassment, she's gonna walk all over you, _Bert._

"You sure don't look the part, _Bert_."

She is right you know.

"Erika. Don't." Monika steps in.

"It's ok, really." I say, which is not a lie. If anything, I'm used to worse.

"Yeah, I can see you two will get along _just_ fine. Urgh… By the way Erika you will have to stay in the same apartment as him. So yes, you will have to get along. Understand?"

"What? Fuuuuck…"

I tell her that "The apartment is empty."

"Oh. I guess that improves the situation a little. And you."

"Yes?"

"Don't you dare come near me."

"Yes ma'am."

"Don't fucking call me that! I'm not _that_ older than you..."

"Not-to-mention-you're-higher-rank-than-her, ARHEM…"

"WHAT?" She wasn't expecting that huh.

"He is technically battle-proven, he's seen fighting. Even if it was just one battle, it still counts."

"Oh well isn't that nice..." I can _feel_ the sarcasm and pure disgust in her voice.

This is going to be fun.

"Well, anyways, you two need to get in your plugsuits, so the dressing rooms are that way." She points ahead.

"Once you reach the end, they're to your left. There's signs for which is which."

"Thank you."

I start walking, with her trailing close behind.

"So… I haven't had the time to read your file… where are you from?"

"Poltava, Ukraine."

"...Oh… Volksdeutsche?"

"...Yes."

"God, you're just shit at small talk aren't you? Then again I'm not that good myself… It bores me to death. I guess you're better than I thought."

Wow.

"Thanks…"

She's in the slightly-friendlier-Kapo category in asshole-ishness.

"Hey! That was a compliment! You better value them!"

 _Oh I am sure of that._

"I will value them like gold."

Like the stolen gold in Göring's stomach that is.

"You better."

I reach my destination. I close the door and that annoying eye rest goes away.

I go to the first locker. My locker.

Well, not mine, obviously.

I don't have nothing.

I get in the plugsuit, which is still difficult.

I can't help but try to think what she looks like in it.

Bert. Don't you dare have a crush on her.

It doesn't look like it will happen _now_ , but if it happens…

The GESTAPO will have your head. And balls.

I'm finally finished, and apparently she was waiting outside.

"You sure took your sweet time, lucky we got here early."

She's in a red plugsuit, with white stripes diagonally in each side, converging in the place where the heart roughly is. Fancy.

Mine is plain grey.

"I guess."

"Urgh, you're horrible to talk with. I take my compliment back."

 _As valuable as the gold in Göring's stomach._

God I make weird and disgusting comparisons.

"Anyways, the sync test is up ahead."

"How do you know that?" I inquired.

"Because Monika pointed it to me from down there, don't you trust me? Trust is very important in the battlefield, you know?"

"Which is built up over time. Did they tell you _that_ in your training?"

"How do you know I was trained? Did you read my file already?"

"Monika knew you and vice-versa and you got in the plugsuit remarkably fast. And I wasn't given any file on anything."

She goes quiet.

"Very impressive." And I don't sense sarcasm, an improvement.

"I lived in Ost Paris. And I was picked for this Project, when I was 11."

"Project?"

"So you weren't given anything huh, God you're clueless… This is the Valkyrie Project. We're going to be the shield of the planet, against the evil Lindwurm! Ain't it exciting?"

Naive much?

"You might die."

She stops and goes quiet.

"...Yes… B-but that's part of the excitement! The glory of battle!"

"There is no such thing as "Glory in Battle".

Ask those who died in war."

"Goddamnit, you're really pessimistic!... Whatever… My dad was a high ranking official within Burgundy, and my mother was a stay at home… well, supposedly. I barely saw her. Always somewhere. She wasn't even my real mother, so who cares?..."

…

Damn this is a long corridor.

"So _Bert_ … How did you kill it?"

"The Lindwurm?" She nods.

"I have no idea. I got knocked out. When I waked up, we were still alive, so it did die. Now, as to the how, I don't know."

"How did you get knocked out so easily? Are you that weak?"

Yes.

"I don't know."

"Do you know anything?" She's getting worked up.

'I do not. They don't want me to know either."

She nearly blurts out a "What" but goes quiet.

"Same thing will apply to you. And you strike me as the curious and intelligent type. And that's not very appreciated in a government organization. But you already know that. So don't ask too many questions, and you'll make it through _just fine_."

Just like back in the farm.

She stays quiet for a while.

"...I see."

"Let's keep moving."

…

This place is a maze.

"Tell me… what do you think of the Valkyrie?"

"Not much. Just that it's a weapon of mass destruction, just as they described it to me.

Now, it's being used against these _things_ but… I know well it will be a weapon turned against people very soon. It's only a matter of time."

"I see, I always thought of it as a horse...like I was a knight."

Huh. A female knight? Hysterical. Then again I've seen some women have more balls than 2 men combined so...

"I was told I was going to save the world, like Siegfried, or something…"

Siegfried didn't save the world.

"I know it's dumb but… do you _feel_ anything in it? Like _warmth_?"

"I'm not supposed to feel anything that _my_ body feels. But I did feel a strange warmth."

"I see."

"Don't you have the same Cortex thingy?"

"Cortex? No, I don't. Is that what you have on your neck?"

"Y-yes… They only installed it on me huh…"

Why? Is it experimental? Dangerous?

Yeah… probably that...

"Then how do you pilot it?"

"Well I just… do as I usually do in my body. I walk when I want to."

"Oh… And uhh, sorry to ask but what are those scars? They look like… whip marks…"

How does she know I have them?

Is this suit transparent?

How does she know what they look like?

"Yeah...ummm, how much did they tell you about me?"

"Not much. Bare essentials."

I look around.

Coast is clear.

"I'm Ukrainian. Former… _farm worker._ "

"A...slave?"

"Yes." You really had to say it.

"O-oh."

"I won't go near you."

"N-no!"

That was a loud no. Wanna bet I'm gonna get shot for that shout?

"It's not that… I mean I don't want you near… you get the point."

"It's ok."

"No, it's..."

She goes near me and whispers.

" _dumb. This whole slave thing..."_

HAH. I _almost_ smirk. Looks like this country is rotten to the core.

That's the only positive thing that I learned this entire day.

I wonder how she learned that.

"There was this Ukrainian maid, that took care of me when I was very young. She breast feeded me, and took care of me. I just couldn't bring myself to hate her, for something she has no control over, nor her entire people, if they have people like her. It just doesn't make sense."

Girl, you just understood something four fucking fifths of the population doesn't.

Good on you.

She quickly backs away.

"A-anyway… It looks like we're here."

Fucking finally.

 **Chapter 6**

We finally reach the closed door. She moves forward and opens it nonchalantly. I move with her, and I see a dark grey control room.

To the left is a large window to an orange lake, with three entry plugs, facing forward towards the room. They're marked with the unit numbers, in white, each in a different color.

00 is the biggest one, probably double the size, and unpainted, so it's in a light grey metallic color, while 01 and 02 are painted white, with one of those construction yellow and black stripes on the back.

Each has an access pathway leading to the door. Damn these things are massive.

To my right, there's a series of empty desks and computers, but only one seems to be in use, though no one is here but us.

Erika's shaking teeth bring me back to her.

"Ugh this place is freezing! I hate how cold these plugsuits are, they offer no protection!"

I guess she is right, I do feel mildly cold. Not to mention, exposed to the elements.

Her plugsuit does follow her curves rather nicely...DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE BERT.

Don't you fucking dare! Remember, the balls will go first and then, and only then, your life.

I ask "Well, shall we get down to business and get in our plugs?"

"Sure. It's warmer in there."

Then I remember that I need someone else to install the cortex thing, and it won't be her.

Why isn't there anyone here?

She opens the door and I follow her till I reach my plug.

Erika once more takes me out of my thoughts. "Hang on, what does your plug look like on the inside? I want to see it!"

"...Ok…"

I open the door and show the dark inside. I go inside and look for a service light. I don't need a light, but the maintenance crew will.

I find it and I turn it on.

It's a lot more depressing than I remember. Cables run about, tangled, and some disconnected. Gauges measuring temperature and pressure, along with a bunch of vents and tubes, to pump in the LCL, I assume. Not to mention a warning saying "Danger" and another saying "Fire Hazard", next to some particularly messy wires.

Just my luck.

Then there's my seat, or bed, considering I'm laying down. It's made of metal, same as the rest, and has the cortex cable thing slightly pulled out.

Over all it's a lot smaller than the outside, to the point where barely two people fit, while the outside is probably the size of a bus.

"Geez this is depressing… Well…nobody seems to have arrived yet, so… you want to see mine? It's great."

"...Sure."

I walk with her to the next plug. She opens the door with some difficulty, and I'm tempted to help, but I know I would only get yelled at.

She steps in and lifts her head inside without a hitch.

"Come on in, Bert."

"A lot more spacious than mine that's for sure. What are these? Mirrors?"

The entire thing inside is quite big, with some sort of glass covering the walls. Her seat is an actual seat, and quite comfy looking.

"It's a giant screen actually, it allows me to see the outside."

Huh.

Next to it, there are two levers that move along the length of the seat

Directly above the seat, is some sort of lengthened visor.

"Oh that? Those are my gun sights. My WALK comes equipped with a giant sniper rifle. Cool, right?"

"Can you handle the kickback?"

"It doesn't have any. It's electrical or something."

"Cool. And what else can it do? The WALK that is."

"To be honest, I was only trained in it to handle the rifle. But it might be able to do something else. I, on the other hand, was trained in hand-to-hand combat."

"So, can you replace me? Shouldn't be too hard." I say this in a bit of a joking tone, but I should be worried about getting replaced.

"Hehe, probably. Anyways my WALK hasn't arrived yet, and neither has the rifle. They say they're bringing it in with a big battleship, the Großer Kurfürst."

"Where were you trained?"

"I honestly don't remember, but I think it was somewhere in Cornwall. Oh yeah, it was called GEHIRN Plymouth."

"Where is that?"

"In England duh. Well it's a bit more complicated than that… It's a giant military base really. But it's in England."

"Huh. And for how long?"

"Since I was 8. I had to go back and forth from Ost Paris to Cornwall over and over again. you see now, why I find the fact you're higher rank than me ridiculous?"

"I do indeed. Not to mention, I find their choosing for the pilot of WALK 00 quite strange." I say this while pointing to myself.

"Heh, I guess you're right. Then again, I think I was the sole pilot for 01. From the start, when it was still _"under construction"..._ To be honest I find this whole thing really fishy. Like, how were we picked?" She basically whispered that last part.

"Yeah…"

"Do you think these are bugged?"

"Of course they are, but I don't think they care, I haven't seen a single SS guy here. Weird."

We're interrupted by an opening door. We both come out of the plug. It's just Monika.

"Well hello there, I see you two are getting along just fine… I didn't interrupt whatever you two were doing inside, was I?"

Erika gets flustered over the tease, and shouts "M-MONIKA?!".

Goddamn she's loud! I'm going deaf at this rate!

Is she incapable of taking a tease?

Monika just bursts out laughing. Can't blame her, Erika is probably a gold mine for these reactions.

"Haaaa...Anyways, let's get started. Get to your plugs, Bert I'll help you."

"Ok".

I head to mine, while Monika heads over to my plug.

"So, are you two getting along? She can be hard to handle at times."

"I see... well I think we are. But it's a bit early to tell."

"Good to know. Well lay down."

I do so, and she lifts my head and plugs in the cable.

"All set." She presses a button saying " _Synchronisation Monitoring_ ".

"So a quick rundown on how this works: The plug is connected via wires to the unit. However, "your eyes" will be "closed".

So you just need to focus. Focus on anything. Key is to keep your mind focused on one thing. That way we can get better results."

"I understand, also is it just you here?"

"Yep, we're kinda understaffed. In this department at least. The bureaucrats have lots of staff, and there are a shit ton of "guards", who are either high or drunk. But we? _Oh no, you get no one. sigh"_

"Huh."

"Yep. Well I'm finished. Good luck and concentrate. I'll contact you upon the start."

"Yes. Thank you."

She leaves and closes the hatch.

Damn this place is dark. There comes that liquid that tastes like blood.

What a great morale booster.

It's so warm… I might get constipated, considering how cold the air is.

How deep underground am I?

A red light comes on. Then it turns off, only for a orange one to come on. Then a green one.

Everything goes black.

I hear something.

 _"You can hear me Erika?"_

 _"Yep. Can he?"_

 _"Yes but he can't talk."_

 _"I see. Soooo… when do we start?"_

 _"Right, starting measurements in 10, 9, 8…"_

 _"Relax Bert, and only then you focus. Take it from me, the 'actual' veteran."_

Good idea.

 _"4, 3, 2, 1, start."_

I start feeling a weird tingling sensation, and hearing a weird low-key buzzing sound.

How am I hearing?

Whatever.

Relax…

Now _focus._

On what?

UNIMOGs? Erika's curves?...

Nah man that's too perverted, not to mention I might get tempted with "flirtations"… That alone would get me a shot in the head.

UNIMOG come to daddy.

 _sigh_

I miss this. Driving it around. Smelling the exhaust with that characteristic burnt oil smell...

Such a delicacy for your lungs.

That's one sexy grill. And axle.

Wew lad, laddie! Those are some nice wheels!

Yes, yes, if a car crashed into it, you would not notice it, neither cosmetically nor structurally.

 _"Good job Bert, you're reaching the 40% mark! Keep it up!"_

Sorry ma'am but I can only drool at a UNIMOG for so long. About 1 minute.

Hmmm. I could drool at EriNO

NO.

Stop. Don't. Just no.

Here's a Lanz Bulldog.

Hmmm, yes, nice hot bulb right below the logo.

What. That's what it's called y'know.

Perverts.

This gets boring pretty fast.

 _"You know what, I'll just talk to you guys to pass the time. Hang on, Monika what's my sync ratio?"_

 _"Same as always, 75%."_

 _"Good, seems like I haven't lost touch. So... Monika… how has Johannes been? Fine I guess, he would have to be, with you watching him around like a hawk, mirin' much?"_

 _"H-H-How do you know that?"_

 _"I'm not dense you know, I know about the chemistry between you two hehe."_

 _"Oh yeah? For someone who always acts high and mighty towards everyone, you sure play down your act when you're around him…_

 _Oh look your sync ratio increases when you're embarrassed!"_

I sure don't see love around her, at least from what that walk told me but I've dealt with worse.

 _"Y-y-you know what?!... … S-screw you!… Yeah, that's not true! I'm the same around him! Plus, I need to respect my superiors don't I?"_

 _"Uh uh yeah suuure, anyways congrats on your new record of 106% Erika, looks like I'll need to embarrass you more often."_

 _"Screw you…"_

Must be nice, being capable of talking. I know that 'cause I can talk. Now, are we finished yet?

I would like to be able to function again please.

 _"And Adalbert you're managing a stable sync ratio of 42%. Considering the fact that your WALK managed a Max of 219%, I think you will be able to manage a high sync ratio like Erika's."_

 _"219?? How?"_

 _"We don't know, yet."_

 _"..."_

 _"Anyways, the sync test is finished, shutting down measurements. Done."_

I finally open my eyes. The hatch opens again.

"Good job buddy, how 'bout next time we aim at a… how does 50% sound?"

"That's if I manage 45%."

"Don't be like that, don't tell Erika I told you this, but she was once stuck on the 45% mark too. You just need to plow straight through it! Isn't that you used to do… sorry… I don't think you want to remember that do you."

I keep quiet. She disconnects the plug and I lift myself up.

"Erika, come here!"

"I'm going already geez. What do you want?"

"It's to tell you the dates of the next test, which is a week from now. Until then… I honestly don't know if the Doctor managed any progress, but you're going to school."

"What? Again? I've already graduated! Oh did I tell you that Bert?"

"...No…"

I'm going to school huh...

"You will tell him after this talk, ok? Anyways, Bert, considering your… _situation,_ we can't really do much, so we're just going to put you in the 11th year of the local High School. I apologize in advance for your grades, considering you're being dropped in without knowing any of the subjects being taught. _Unless."_ She looks at Erika.

"I can't just teach him 12 years of school!"

"4. He apparently had a teacher. He was a house servant until age 13, and the lady of the house was a teacher, and apparently took it upon herself to teach him."

"I also know a little bit about chemistry and German literature."

"Oh. Hmm, considering my extraordinary capabilities, I think I can help you. Also, why does this place have a high school?"

Humility would do you a favour, not to mention make you 10 times hotter ARRHEM.

"A lot of people _live_ here. At least 10 thousand people, half being Danes or slaves, who work here. Many have children, wives, etc… and they need a place to call home. This _structure_ gives the necessary infrastructure for those lives."

"Huh."

"There's not many actually going though. The entire school has 200 kids, and your class has... 10 people. I wished my class was that small. Plus most are Danish, and they aren't as… _discriminatory_ as over here. Anyways, would you like a ride home? I got a new ride!"

"Oh really? What could possibly be better than a 30 year old Volkswagen?"

"It's a BMW 700(1) actually, I was considering the 600, but it was just too out there for me."

"Huh. Well let's go then."

We walk along the same long corridor.

"Anyways, I think you could call me a genius, Bert!"

"Really?" I guess she'll explain why she graduated.

"Here we go again…"

"Oh shut it Monika, anyways when I was 6 I got into High School, and finished it when I 13, then I got into college and finished it last year. It takes a prodigy to pull that off!"

"I am sure of it." She _is_ technically right, but I sure wish, she wasn't.

"Humility is a quality, you know?" There goes Monika taking my words again.

"I _am_ being humble. Oh, has my WALK arrived yet?"

"It's still being transported to here. The cannon is already here though."

"Hmmm. They better not break my "Big Bertha" or they'll feel my wrath."

"They won't."

…

"Finally… what time is it Monika?"

"Mid day… Hey how about we all have lunch together?"

"Yes! I'm starving!"

"And what about you, Bert?"

"If it's not too much of a bother."

"It's not at all! C'mon!"

"Ok."

"Very well! Get dressed, and come by the entrance, look for the grey small BMW."

I enter the changing room, and change into my uniform.

I leave the room, and see Erika, in her long grey skirt and a white shirt, waiting outside.

"Took you long enough. C'mon let's go, I'm hungry!"

"Yes ma'am" I throw her in a sarcastic tone.

We start walking, and, after some chatter, finally reach the outside.

It's weird looking into a fake sky. You have to remind yourself it's just a ceiling, and that's why there aren't any clouds.

It's mildly warm out today. And the place looks dead, but I guess everyone is inside at work.

We reach the parking lot, and Erika's "sharp eye" spots the BMW.

We get inside and head down the empty road.

The building complex gives way for a forest, making the scenery really beautiful.

Gotta admit. This is one comfy hole in the dirt.

But my mind keeps going back to this one question:

"What do people here do?"

"Oh yeah… isn't this just a GEHIRN facility?"

"Oh no far from it! This is also a military base, naval base, industrial complex among other things. They make everything from bullets to shells, from bicycles to ships, from nukes to toys. Everything they could cram in here. You see, this place is huge. _Huge._ This is like a buried sphere,and the floor were on is the size of _Germania_."

"How was it built?"

"It was found, not built. But that's not the official story. So don't go around telling that to people. Anyways, here we are!"

We arrive at a small bar, made of… are those shipping containers? I remember the pesticides and fertilizers sometimes arriving inside those things.

"They have delicious Hamburg steaks, I can tell you that much!"

"Ah my favorite!"

The bar, which is quite small, is decorated with a naval theme, with some lifesavers from some ship called _SS Cap Arcona_ , and has only 5 tables. It's quite cozy. We sit down on one, and an employee comes by, nearly immediately.

"Hello and welcome to the _Cap Arcona_! What would you like to have? I assume you want the usual menu, Monika? Oh and who do we have here? A young couple?"

Erika predictably blushes. She needs to learn how to control herself, geez.

Monika answers.

"Hehehe. Nice to see you again! Anyways, I would like a Hamburger steak and so would she…"

Erika nods.

"And the young gentleman?"

"O-oh I would like a Hamburger steak as well."

"Very well!"

She walks away.

"Young couple?!"

"Oh God, Erika why can't you take a tease?"

This place sure is empty at this hour.

…

Ten minutes later, the steak arrives.

I haven't had a meal in a while. It's funny that I forget to eat.

"Jesus, you're gulping that down fast, that's bad for you, you know?"

I guess she has a point.

"Don't tell me Johannes didn't tell you about the cantines."

"..."

Erika stops eating and starts giggling.

"I am going to murder that man. No. Torture. Balls go first. That's for sure. HOW DID HE FORGET?! Please don't tell me you haven't eaten since you gotten here."

I gulp down another fork full of meat.

"..."

"So you just didn't care about whether or not you had food?"

"..."

Another fork. Damn this sauce is delicious. The meat is on point too.

"You cannot exist." I think that's Erika's voice. Bah, whatever, I'll keep eating. I ain't got time for a last minute existential crisis.

"I'm going to murder that man. The moment he steps out of that plane, I'll kick him in the nuts"

What are they on about?

Oh right.

"I didn't care because I thought there might have been a ration shortage or something. I'm used to going without food for three days."

"How did you work?"

"I did what everyone else did. Fake it. Everyone, including the guards, faked "working"

That way you survive. Those who worked… they didn't last long."

"..."

"...You should be careful eating for a few days. Your stomach probably shrunk a little. So eat less. And I don't mean not eating at all. Eat. Less."

"Yes miss."

They continue eating, while I gulp down the fries.

…

We get back on the car. It's 13pm by now.

"I love this place, it's cheap and tasty."

"Agreed. 20 Reichsmarks for all that? Incredible."

Agreed. I want to eat there again.

"Did you know I learned how to cook in Plymouth?"

"Oh really? What did you learn?"

"Hamburger steak, hehe, grilling in general, Fish and chips, and Leipziger Allerlei."

"Healthy food huh?"

"Of course, I had to keep myself in shape!"

This is one beautiful scenery.

"Here you are, now don't get too cramped in one apartment m'kay?"

"M-MONIKA!"

My ears now miss the days of driving that Lanz Bulldog. That beautiful old lady treated you well, in all terms except your ears.

She drives off, obviously laughing.

"Now… which is the biggest apartment?..."

"Not mine that's for sure."

"Hmmm, this one has a fancier door, and it's far away from the others."

She opens the door and enters.

"Oh it has a kitchen and a radio and everything! Oh my god, look at this bookshelf."

At least she's happy.

"Bert, could you carry my baggage from those boxes in front of your apartment? No way I'm staying in yours."

 _sigh_

Back to work.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **(1):**

This is Monika's car. There are many like it, but this is hers.

 **Chapter 7**

He's ever so mildly cute, when he's working hard. What?

It's true! I'm pointing out a fact and I am being honest with myself, which is always good, like Monika always told me. If I keep being honest with myself, I'll eventually get rid of my weakness to teasing.

What can I say, I'm quite prideful. Any sort of teasing rubs off me the wrong way.

…

Too bad I had to get sent to an island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. Is this their way of telling me to screw off? I know I can be _mildly_ infuriating, but _this_ was uncalled for! Though being back with Monika is good.

This place is pretty comfy though. I like the atmosphere of an old library, and the warm lighting. A lot better than that cold apartment in Paris.

I _despise_ that place. Far away from GEHIRN, so I had to take a flight every damn week, cold as hell, and no one to talk to. It was a dead city.

Well at least now I have a colleague. Who isn't jealous or scornful of me.

"Is this the last one?" Gotta admit, I like his deep voice, it's almost like he is one of those cliche prince charmings! Good thing he hasn't acted like that to me.

 _Yet._ Wouldn't be the first nor the last, from my experience.

"Yep. So uhhh… Would you mind staying here for a while… I just… look we have nothing to do right now so how about we talk?"

"Fine by me."

He walks inside. Just now I notice the beauty of this apartment.

It's styled like a classy old house, or a library. It has a beautiful bookshelf, with books engraved with golden details. Whoever was the former occupier, sure had some good taste.

There's dust on a lot of these things though, and it seems like it was emptied of most things.

He sits down in the leather sofa next to the fireplace. Damn, I have a fireplace!

Bert takes me out of my thought process. "So uhh, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, tell me more about you!"

"There isn't much more than what I've already told you." He stands up all of a sudden and picks up a notebook that was on the shelf.

Then he goes to a desk next to it and picks up a pen.

He comes back and starts writing something. He then looks around, and shows me his writing.

That's some horrible calligraphy, but I'll let it pass, considering the author. But, yeesh.

It says in what must be some foreign writing system which I barely understand: _"This place is probably bugged to hell and back, you sure you don't want to go for a stroll?"_

I'm not very sure if it is, considering the corridors aren't bugged because "the local Gestapo was bribed to hell and back, until they turned into a bunch of lazy cunts" (source: Monika). But going for a stroll isn't too bad.

I nod.

We leave the apartment, and start walking along the sidewalk. I turn to him.

"So uh, my question still stands."

"There really isn't anything very interesting about my life, only depressing stories. Even then _I_ didn't suffer that much, the others on the other hand. I was a lucky bastard."

Ok…

"Honestly, I was extremely privileged. I was educated and trained in melee combat by a veteran of the Caucasus Mountains front, in the war. The farming duties were simple, and the punishments were minimal when applied to me."

"I see...W-which were?" Should I even be asking this? Goddamnit Eri

"75 whippings for anything wrong and that's like, nothing. Others got 250, with the guards taking turns to do it. They broke my middle finger once, while on the others they just break the arm. I have no idea why I was privileged though… maybe I am Volksdeutsch… my name is rather strange."

"You were whipped 75 times and that's nothing? You fucking what?" Do you even exist? _Privileged?_

"Well, saying it out loud makes it seem a lot worse than it is. For someone who isn't used to it, it might be shocking, but for someone who _is…_ It ain't much."

"...Honestly, I am inclined to believe your story, considering some of the assholes I've seen in the SS." Bunch of perverted Beta males, that think just because they're tall and blonde, gives them a right to jump into my pants, they're dead wrong. That might fly with the other girls in the BDM, but it won't with me.

"I just thought that was their job. Being a prick and all. Didn't know that extended to their personality. Then again, that explains their skill at their chosen line of work. "

"Heh, well I guess."

"So, you were trained in CQC?"

"Yes, and I'm quite proficient at it! Unlike you, I wasn't "conscripted", I was chosen early on, and I was trained in the fighting skills I was to assume, should the need arise. I was trained as like a "scout", or a sniper. My aim is _perfect_. So you can rely on me for pinpoint accuracy. I'm sure the " _veteran"_ won't need it, will he?"

"If the next beast is anything like the last one, having a _kamerad_ of any sort would be great."

"Wow, a modest _hotshot_ , miracle."

"I'm no hotshot, I'm the bait that gets his head blown off right at the start."

"Yeeesh… Is that dark humour or a serious affirmation?"

"Both."

"Huh… How about we go see my gun?" I need to check if it's broken or not, just in case.

"The _Big Bertha?_ Sure, a long walk but fine."

We walk until the metro station and get in the metro to the surface elevator.

…

We finally arrive at the empty elevator entrance.

"Can I even go to the surface?"

"Of course, aren't you considered a Volksdeutsche?"

"I guess… Ladies first."

"Oh how noble of you… guess you were named Adalbert for a reason."

"What about my name?"

"Oh you don't know? It means noble bright. Don't ask me what the bright part means though."

He goes to thoughtful silence mood for a while, accompanied by a somewhat sad facial expression, and enters the elevator. Did I say anything wrong?

…

Damn this is a long ride, at least we have a window… which Bert is covering. Great.

It's also kind of claustrophobic… Yeah sure we have 3 meters separating us but… I don't even know anymore.

The elevator finally ticks for the final time and we reach the surface.

We step outside and leave the entrance.

"Ah the sea breeze is so refreshing! Oh I just remembered. Did you ever see the sea?"

"I didn't really pay attention to anything on my way here so… but I would like to see it."

Good! I feel like walking along the sea.

"Well then let's take the scenic route! Now if I'm not mistaken, we're in Ronne in a roundabout with the…" I look around for a street sign. "Store Torvegade, and... Nordre Kystvej." And we need to go south along the Nordre. Let's go!"

"How do you know all this?"

"I'm a genius remember? I memorized the maps." I surprise even myself with my neverending awesomeness.

"Huh. Then guide me, oh wise one."

"Ha ha. Very funny smartass."

We start walking.

"The street is kinda empty."

"Yeah it's eerie."

…

Finally we reach the seaside. I love the sea spray. So fresh.

"It's wild today. Look at those waves… Bert?"

Is he in a trance?

Whatever. I guess I can sit here with him for a while.

…

15 minutes and he's still looking at the sea…

"BERT."

"Ahh!"

"You've been staring into the distance for at least 20 minutes!"

"S-sorry, w-we can get going now. I was just stunned by those waves."

"Yeah yeah, you've never seen the sea before. Anyways let's get going."

We start walking again. It's probably 3 o'clock by now.

…

"There it is! The Große Kurfürst! That's the ship carrying my precious toy-I mean Big Bertha."

"It's… It's just a hull."

"Yeah, they never completed this mighty ship, so they left it as my personal gun carrier. It's essentially a self-propelled barge. So they just slapped a few tarps on top of the holes, laid the gun on it, placed another tarp on top of said gun, and called it a day. If it had been completed it would have been the largest battleship ever, with a length of 367 meters."

I'm such an _eierkopf_. 1

"Huh."

"Let's board it."

" _Can we_ board it?"

"God you're such a wimp, what's the worse they can do?"

Oh. Right. His staring reminds me of the obvious.

Dammit I'm so insensitive sometimes.

"Fine, let's do it."

We start walking towards the boarding platform, and walk up the platform.

"There you are my precious." I say this as I walk towards the "tent" looking tarp. I had just forgotten how big this gun actually is.

This "tent" looks more like a damn circus tent in height, and it looks like the designers needed to compensate for something, when they decided about the length.

I turn to Bert.

"C'mon!"

"Fine"

I lift up the tarp just enough so I can pass, and so does Bert.

"Ain't she a beauty! See these five main grey pillars? They're electromagnets. They're assembled in star-formation. "

"Okay…"

"See these sections and grooves in regular intervals? They signify each individual magnetic unit. They activate and deactivate one by one in succession. At the very beginning of the gun, there's the munition. It's usually a dart made of any magnetic material and or tungsten core."

"I see." He grabs one of the supports.

"What are these circles along the gun?"

"Oh, those hold the magnets together. There's also a shoulder rest in the middle that's holding this thing up, it's also where the "juice" that powers this beast comes in from. Some really big cables plug in there. Hence why my WALK has an electric plug in the back. There is a shoulder mount near the front too. And a "scope" of sorts in the middle. It's a high-tech electronic eye. Really fancy stuff."

"Shoulder mount? Scope?"

"You know what an anti-tank rifle is?"

"...No?" Should've just said it was a simple rifle.

"Ugh… It's a big sniper rifle. This is basically the same. An anti-Lindwurm gun. Anti-anything by that matter. This thing destroyed a nuclear bunker 50 meters underground."

"Can it take one of those demons down in one shot?"

"If it hits the right spot, which it will if the bastard doesn't move because my aim is perfect, it can. In _theory_."

"Ok nice to hear, so can we leave? I don't want us to get caught."

Ugh.

" _Fine._ "

We leave the tent and walk down the stairs once more.

…

So empty…

"Is it just me or is this place a ghost town?"

Bert turns to me.

"They're all working underground probably. I mean, we did see a few workers in the harbor."

"Still… let's walk around a little more… I want to see the sights."

"Fine. These are some colourful houses."

"Yeah! If only the atmosphere wasn't so depressing…"

We start walking along the marginal road.

Bert talks again.

"How did you… you know… find the bullshit."

"Gonna need to be more specific there. I've seen a lot of it "

"Exactly. How did you realize it wasbullshit?"

"Well… I met a lot of people who weren't German. In fact I've met more non-Germans than Germans.

Because… I didn't fit in… I was better than everyone in the university, and I was envied and hated by everyone. So I knew a little of what _they_ felt. I didn't suffer nearly as much though… So, what do I know."

"Don't devalue your own suffering, just because others have it worse. Try and fix _your_ problems first, and then the problems of others. Not only will you be more effective at fixing their problems, but you will feel a lot better doing it. A little selfish, but being too altruistic takes a toll. At least this is what I was told by a reminiscing tired Ostfront veteran."

This guy pulls some great lines out of his ass like it's nothing, why and how does he know this… wisdom?

Either way…

"That's great advice... Though I wish my problems were that simple to fix. Guess I'll just be selfish forever. _heh_ "

"Don't give up on them and face them. Fight them. Head on. _Deal_ with your problems. Don't run away from them, and _deal_ with them."

"More lines from the veteran?"

"Nah… just…personal experience I guess…"

There's a story there… a really depressing one, for sure, considering his background.

I start hearing an airplane.

Bert points inland, "Something's coming."

"Oh right, Johannes is coming back around this time. Probably his plane. He should be landing near the port. We can wait for him."

"Sure."

As we walk back, we see the plane passing over us, then circling back around in the distance. As we arrive, the plane touches down on the water, and heads towards the pier.

As we make our way towards the plane, we spot him. And he spots us too. I guess that spoils any surprise.

"Well, look at you two getting along just fine and dandy! Did you take her on a date already Bert?"

Bastard, snipe-teasing me. I'll make him pay.

"JOHANNEEEEEEESSS! And why are you giggling?"

"I just think your "detonations" are really impressive, that's all!"

"That's it, you're paying too!"

"What's the passing toll?"

"Your passing into the after life!" Unfortunately for my honour, Johannes' offer pulls me away from snapping my "comrade's" neck.

"ANYWAYS… How about I give you both a ride back?"

The elevator is right there, a few hundred meters away… but fine. Damn car culture.

I notice he's carrying luggage, a large metal case painted matte black… Better not to ask.

We walk with him to his car, a red Goliath 1100 which he brags far too much about.

"My luggage is rather… important, as such I'm going to need you two in the backseat. Don't be too loud ok? I don't need to hear two teenagers dry humping each other on my precious back seats!"

"Y-y y-y-you idiot!! ADALBERT BACK ME UP HERE!"

"You're too easy. And too loud."

"Goddammit Bert, you bean-sprout! Bert-sprout!"

"Great, she's learning."

"Hey! And what are you laughing at?"

"Oh I haven't had this good of a laugh in a long while. Get in the car, you two."

Damn teaser…

He opens the door and we can get in, and soon we're moving.

"So, serious question, are you two getting along well?"

A simultaneous _"I guess…"_ makes itself known.

"That's nice to hear. And Erika."

He turns to me. I know what he's gonna say already.

"Don't be a brat to him, ok." His eyes show enough seriousness for me to take it as an order.

" _Fine._ And look at the road, for fucks sake!"

"Yeah, yeah. Also the entire apartment block is yours basically. It's empty..."

He murmurs something after the "empty".

Hang on, we got the entire block for ourselves?

Cool!

"Oh right, I forgot, the HQ has a canteen. So you can get your food there, though the fridge gets restocked pretty often."

"Restocked?"

"Every once in a while, a worker is going to bring you a bunch of food." Like royalty huh?

"Oh great. What are we, the Krupps?"

"You're the pilots, you're the hotshots. You get all these privileges. Also, Bert, do you know how to take care of yourself?"

"In theory, but most of my skills were learned working for others. If it's..."

"You'll be fine. By the way, don't make me have to trail your asses around, don't get me in trouble."

"Ok, we get it." How much longer? Why are we going around the island to… Nexø is that it? Oh God, really? Going all the way just to get to a car elevator… I do find it dumb that it wasn't on the main town in the island. But fine. So idiotic though…

Johannes asks me:

"By the way, Erika, I've been wondering, because I didn't really notice it until now but… Are you related to the von Zeppelins? It said in your file Erika Zeppelin Jensen."

"Whoever decided that name was an idiot. And for some reason, they let me have it. I hate it."

"C'mon it ain't too bad… Ok it sounds pretty dumb to be perfectly honest."

"The only one allowed to criticize my name is _me._ "

My threat worked. Like always. Doesn't matter who's the man, they all cower in fear.

He really doesn't have a filter does he… Just like Monika described him. She kept going on and on about him. I get it, she likes him, at least I assume as much from the amount of complaints, but goddamn, couldn't she shut up about him for one bit?

Looking back on the few times I stayed over at her house. They were fun times, we were like two hurricanes in that poor little… cottage? Is that what they were called? It was pretty comfy.

…

 _"Same thing will apply to you. And you strike me as the curious and intelligent type. And that's not very appreciated in a government organization. But you already know that. So don't ask too many questions, and you'll make it through just fine."_

What he said… I've been for years now in the organization… and looking back…

I've come pretty close to asking some "difficult" questions… Stuff only later I would find out was heavily classified. Like…

 _"What's an AT field?"; "What are the WALKs made of?"..._

For someone who never left his farm, he sure is smart. Probably just one his veteran's lines though. He sure looks off to the sea a lot...

I should watch my mouth more closely…

Suddenly…

"Erika, don't you think that it's a bit weird to have a cloud right next to the sea?" He points to a column, no a _wall_ of water really off into the distance. Like a tall wave, really tall. From here it's minuscule… but… it's really far away.

And it's gone. Ok. Another just rose up in the air.

Ok. No panicking. And Johannes noticed it. And now we're going way faster.

Well fuck.

 _Well fuck._

Is it too much to ask, to just go home?

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

 **(1):** It means egghead, or nerd. She was nerding out really hard.

 **Goliath 1100:**

Funky little car. Made by Hansa Lloyd.

 **Chapter 8**

"FUCK."

Agreed. I completely agree to Johannes' statement. Yep, fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck!

FUCK!

IF THAT THING'S MAKING THOSE GIGANTIC WAVES, THEN IT'S GOTTA BE THE SIZE OF A FUCKING BATTLESHIP! WE'RE FUCKED!

And going this fast in this red tin can ain't helping! Why does it have to shake so much, and why is it so damn loud?

Ok, Erika, calm down, you've trained for this.

"C'mon, where's the fucking shortcut? It should be somewhere around here…THERE!"

Said tin can proceeds to nearly spin out because of the way-too-sharp turn we take into a really bumpy dirt road.

Men at the wheel, constant danger, just like my maid used to say…

An ear shattering strange moaning like noise roars all around us. Missiles. In the hundreds.

"I'll show that Lindwurm who's boss! How much longer!?"

They'll see the might of Erika Zeppelin Jensen, they will tremble under my crimson iron boots!

"Easy there Devil, this dirt road leads to a ramp that goes straight down to the Cages."

"It better!"

I'll make a show of force that they will _never_ forget.

They'll see, I'll knock out that thing out in no time with one shot!

Come hell or high water, I'm fucking that oversized whale up.

I finally see the ramp that'll lead me to victory.

Come to mommy, my Red chariot, come to mommy!

The gates are already open, with the guards signalling to keep going, obviously waiting for the Empress's arrival!

"I'll show you…"

We start going downhill at ever increasing speed, descending this dark tunnel.

"Don't forget you need to be able to stop, at this speed, we'll just slide out." Scaredy pants.

"Scared hmm?"

"Both of you stop bickering, we're getting down ASAP."

I'm guessing that's his serious mode. Good riddance, we'll need it upon the start of The Crimson Empress's debut in battle!

I'll fuck that piece of shit who dared disturb this calm island! The island under my jurisdiction shall be well protected by me! No Lindwurm shall get past. It shall know pain… Yes!

Damn, I am PUMPED!

The screeching sound of the car's brakes take me back to reality.

As we turn right and start accelerating once more across a narrow bridge in darkness I realize where we are: The Cages.

This massive structure is really impressive. Worthy of my beloved WALK, truly.

The lonely bridge plugs into a gigantic wall of steel, with a walkway going both sides from the gate, small doors dotting the walkway.

The car brakes again near the gate.

"Get out and get in your plugsuits ASAP, don't bicker. After that, run back here. I'll take you to the plugs."

"Y-yes sir!"

As we start running towards the signaled doors, I notice Bert's scared.

"Scared, hmm?"

"Nervous. If you fuck up, I'm fucked, and so are the rest. If I fuck up, you're fucked and so are the rest. Whatever it was that my machine did, I had no hand in it, and I don't trust it. And neither should you! If I fuck up, it might do whatever it did to the first monster, to you."

"Aww, you're worried about me?"

"I'm worried about _me_ , if you die, I'm getting the blame."

We enter our respective changing rooms, and we get changed as quickly as possible. That guy's tone meant the "ASAP".

We run back and we enter another dark hall, seemingly endless in its tallness and our chariots finally come into view.

I'm surprised to learn that my WALK is the shortest of the two. And smallest.

His WALK is far bigger and more heavily armoured. It's completely covered in plates, stacked on top of each other in some places, to a point where it seems more limiting than protective.

Then again, if the thing went berserk, then it makes sense in limiting it. It seems to be a veritable monster, in size and grandiosity… no it's lofty… It seems arrogant. Ironic considering the pilot.

With that Pharaoh beard thing, the rhinoceros horn and the military helmet… It most definitely looks imposing. But the grey rusted paint makes it look dull. The wrist protections are still in primary red paint though…

Is that a skirt? It seems like one of those leg protections the samurai used.

Huh.

But enough with his lumbering colossus, onto my red chariot!

I see they haven't scratched the red paint… good.

I would've had their heads.

My dear WALK 01 in all her glory, with her head looking somewhat similar to WALK 00s head except for the lack of the weird Pharaoh beard (better off that way, to be honest) and a visor in place of the eyes, instead of the elongated hexagon windows it has for eyes.

The body is painted crimson red (personal request), with different shades in certain places.

Her body looks like a well fit athlete, with metallic enhancements. She was built for speed manoeuvrability and heavy load carrying in the arms, as required by the rifle's weight and cable.

The armour is tightly moulded around the proverbial body.

It saddens me to realise that my she is quite a bit shorter than that statue to megalomania.

We can see the workers up there getting the plugs out and ready, in a frantic rush.

The attack wasn't being expected that's for sure.

The car turns sharply into the side.

"Go up the elevator as fast as you can. Do this, by pressing the "Angriff" button. Go."

We get out of the car, and rush towards this elevator connected to the wall. We press the button and I nearly fall to the ground of the elevator. We're speeding upwards extremely fast and in no time we reach my plug floor.

Bert turns to me: "Good luck out there."

"You too."

I rush towards the plug entrance. The workers wish me good luck as well.

I sit down. I grab the controls. I feel the plug rush forward. The screen comes on. I can do this.

You aced the tests. Every test. You can do this.

Just like the tests.

C'mon.

You're the Crimson Empress. You can do this.

 _"Scared?"_

Hah! Me? NEVER!

The WALK is loaded onto the catapults.

 _"Nervous?"_

Of course not.

Perhaps anxious… No... I'm hungry for blood!

I'm gonna beat the living fuck out of that thing until it regrets existing.

I feel the Gs. I feel the rush. Adrenaline.

…

Fuck yeah! Let's kill that son of a bitch!

…

That's one big son of a bitch. Those ripples it's making are like tidal waves crashing into the coastline. The water's reaching far inland.

Johannes' voice takes me out of my thought process.

 _"Erika, your provisional callsign is Gudrun, WALK 00's callsign is Siegfried."_

Seriously? Gudrun. Wow. Fucking Monika, I swear...

"...Roger that."

 _"...The Lindwurm code name is Nidhöggr. It should be arriving in about 5 minutes. It's advised that you go get the Big Bertha. You can probably see the ship from there."_

"Understood. Will do." Well this isn't a canonical fight now is it.

 _"Siegfried's launched."_ Sure enough that colossus comes up.

"Affirmative, I have a visual on Siegfried."

 _"Siegfried's communication system won't be operational for a while, so he can't respond, but he can still listen. For all intents and purposes you're his commanding officer."_

"Roger." Guess ranks don't matter all that much…

"Siegfried, stay on guard."

I see him nodding, and I start moving towards the ship.

Seriously, Gudrun? Of all characters… Gudrun…

Ugh.

…

Focus.

 _"Careful walking through the city now, no need for collateral damage. One step at a time."_

There goes a street light.

And another wave is coming. Is it just me, or is it circling around us like a shark?

 _"When the wave hits, stand still, and you won't budge."_

"Roger."

Feet towards the sea. These are some big waves.

The poor houses are getting battered, geez…

 _"Get moving."_

"Roger."

I slowly make my way towards the cargo ship.

I finally reach it and carefully pull out the tarp.

Then I pick the gun up slowly and carefully.

You don't want to break it now.

"I've retrieved the gun. Making my way back towards Siegfried."

I carefully leave the harbour, and start taking the same route I took before. As I leave the town, another wave hits, shattering on the rock side with water reaching until the midsection of my WALK.

The waves are getting stronger.

 _"He's closing in the circle. Our SONARs are finally picking him up. It's one huge motherfucker, 2 kilometers long and 500 meters wide, some sort of giant sea royal snake."_

"Roger that." A giant king snake huh. Thank God I'm not afraid of snakes.

Hang on, what the fuck did he just say? A what now?

 _"Nidhöggr is moving away in a straight line, it's going to charge into you, get your gun ready ASAP."_

"Roger!"

 _"Those wings it has in the front might be enough to make it fly. Don't ask how, but be ready if that thing comes flying at you."_

"...Roger."

And it flies too. Great. I pick up the cable of my gun and connect it to my arm's plug.

Now for the ammo.

"HQ, where is the ammo rack?"

 _"It's back in the harbor, large metal containers, they're your magazines, I apologise for forgetting that part."_

Fucking idiot…

"...Roger that."

I make my way back towards the harbor, _again._

 _"Nidhöggr is starting to turn back around for the charge, it is 10 kilometers away. Caution, the damned thing is extremely fast for its size, and agile. You have five minutes till it's arrival. I repeat, you have 5 minutes until Nidhöggr's arrival."_

Oh how nice. "Roger."

Oh shit, Bert, I gotta give him some order.

"Siegfried, cover my back and watch heading… What heading is Nidhöggr heading from?"

 _"Roger that, it is 290, I repeat, 2, 9, 0."_

"Watch heading 290, understood?"

A ping chimes in the upper left corner of my Head's Up Display., with a message.

 _"YES."_

So that's how he communicates…

I look back towards the sea, watching said heading. Giant waves, like those of a ship, are coming.

And they're huge.

 _"He's going faster than predicted. Nidhöggr is accelerating, ETA is now 2 minutes, and decreasing."_

Fuck!

"Roger!"

I pick up the magazines and load one onto the gun.

I hear a large clang from my back side. Bert's got his knife out.

We start moving outside the city as carefully as we can and move into the fields.

 _"Ready your weapons!"_

Remember what you've always done Erika, lock the magazine, pull back the bolt to load the munition, and start charging, there you go.

Now you check the amperage and the amount of Teslas, 42 Teslas that's excellent.

Set up the aim system by clicking... there, _and_ we're done!

"Ready!"

Johannes answers

 _"30 seconds, aim for the same heading, Siegfried get behind her and ready the knife, I want you to gut it alive. You two should be nearer the coast, that thing has been descending until now, now it's going up real fast and it's going to fly straight up, get ready!"_

 _"ROGER."_

"Roger!"

As we move towards the small cliff and we look down, we see a dark circle, getting darker and darker as it climbs.

I aim the cannon. The circle changes somewhat.

It's facing me. It's coming straight at me!

 _"Don't fire into the water!"_

Ugh!

"Roger!"

 _"10 seconds!"_

Let's do this.

 _"9"_

Yeah!

 _"8"_

C'mon!

 _"7"_

Yeah.

 _"6"_

C'mon…

 _"5"_

I can kill it… I think...

 _"4"_

Oh God…

 _"3!"_

Oh fuck.

 _"2!"_

Did it open its mouth?

 _"Incoming!"_

"Firing!"

 **_WALK 00_ **

I watch as the gun muzzle flashes in a blinding light, but as the fire fades away, I see a grotesque gunmetal dark grey blind snake, swallowing the WALK whole, with a shining and bloody metal pole sticking out of the head, diagonally.

The girl didn't lie, she has good aim.

I'm already charging it as I hear Johannes shout in to my ear to save her.

Damn, that thing was fast. Hope the damsel in distress can fight it, while I go over there and gut that dumb fucks' mouth open. Is it just me or has it not seen me yet? Piece of shit's probably blind.

I spoke too soon, god fuckin' damnit, it's pulling back to the sea, but I'm too close for the escape. I jump knife in hand and stab it's head, and hold on to it for my dear life. Or hers.

Water hit me like a brick, but my feet are secure, stepping on the things' saber tooths, and I'm gripping its nose. This fuckface resembles a royal snake, but it sure as hell ain't got the things teeth, having big canines like savers sticking out. Erika's feet were saved by the gaps of the thing's poorly maintained broken teeth.

I can see her fighting it, but she's stuck in there. The radio silence is disturbing, she ain't the one to shut up.

We're going too fast for any easy movements, so I can't really budge. I need to wait for it to slow down.

 _"H-p me o-t he-e!_

"ON IT PRINCESS"

 _"F-ck y-u and get g-ing!"_

I wonder why I'm so calm.

I start feeling the snake's head, trying to figure out where she is.

She seems to have moved to one side of the thing's mouth, leaving a good space to slash open without damaging her.

I stick the knife as hard as I can, and bring it down, running the blade dull halfway done.

These damned things just don't fuckin' last!

As the head jerks around, I stab it repeatedly trying to slash the rest open.

It should've opened it's damned mouth by now, but it's fixated on trying to swallow her, but it seems like it ate more than it could chew.

So how about some more? I carefully crawl my torso inside it, and reach for her WALK's arm.

She manages to turn her head towards me.

 _"Fucking finally!"_

She drags her arm up, through the constantly contracting and relaxing mouth. I grip it hard, and start pulling as hard as it allows, with each head jerk only helping me further by throwing my arm up, pulling her in tandem.

The blood makes visibility a bit iffy, but she's still still visible.

The snake keeps going deeper and deeper.

Don't submarines get crushed if they go to low?

Bah, who cares, I'm pumped!

I don't really get why…

Focus. She's nearly out, and she finally managed to get one of her arms out and soon she's out.

Johannes' communication channel opens up again:

 _"Gudrun, I trust you can activate the floating device?"_

 _"Yes? Hey, I can still help him!"_

 _"Erik-Gudrun we don't have time for this! Your armour can't handle as much pressure as Siegfried's, therefore, you need to come up ASAP, understood? Give your knife to Siegfried and activate the device. And that's an order."_

 _"...Roger"_ She gives me the knife, in this cramped space. She activates the thing, and sure enough, several balloon things pop out and she floats to the surface.

 _"Siegfried, get in the thing again, and find the core."_

"ROGER."

You and me, you piece of shit, you and me, now.

I get back in the snake's mouth, and I do my best to let it swallow me. This thing's heart is going to be near the esophagus up here…

As the thing struggles with my WALKs size, I slowly get to my target. If I remember correctly, these things' hearts were around here… THERE!

I stab it as best as I can, until I think I hit a particularly tougher part, muscle, the heart!

And soon enough it stops.

 _"Siegfried, that's not enough to kill it, there's got to be a core around there. You gotta finish this fast, you're reaching the maximum depth!"_

I acknowledge, and start stabbing and slashing again. Eventually, a hole is produced, lots of blood comes out of the slashed heart, and after it clears somewhat, I manage to spot something next to it.

A red orb, nestled very close to the heart. I squeeze my arm in as close as possible, and stab it, but it's harder than I thought.

 _"You have one minute!"_

Fuck! Don't pressure me dammit, you're gonna make it worse, for fucks sake. I turn the knife around, and start hammering it as strongly as possible in such a cramped space.

 _"Half a minute, kid, c'mon!"_

I give up. Until I notice two veins coming off the back.

Gotcha.

The knife, running somewhat dull already, still managed to saw the veins, one by one, and soon, the core is disconnected.

I communicate back to them.

"I CUT THE CORE OFF NIDHOGGR. RETRIEVING IT. DESTRUCTION NOT POSSIBLE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT. REQUEST TO DESTROY IT ON THE SURFACE."

Silence for a few seconds, as I crawl my way back from where I came from.

 _"Roger Siegfried, get your ass out of there ASAP, we'll activate the device for you. You got twenty seconds."_

"ROGER."

Always short time frames I guess.

I am nearly out as the snakes' skull right above me collapses and crushed the legs.

Really? Ugh. God fucking damn it all to Hell! I just want to get this over with, dammit.

I stab the knife sideways and start pulling.

 _"What's the holdback? Respond!"_

"YOUR COUNTDOWN WAS WRONG."

 _"Bullshit! Siegfried get out of there! You got ten seconds!"_

Well you don't fucking say?

Finally I'm free, and I violently grab the loosened entrance and pull myself forward. I'm feeling heavy, and claustrophobic. I notice the armour starting to crumple.

I'm still oddly calm. Guess I'm getting used to it.

What's with the delay, I'm out of it already. I sure as hell don't know how to swim.

 _"Sieg-...Doe-...rk…"_ Static.

Great radios y'all got there. Hah.

Of course the device doesn't work, why would it? It's German, for fucks sake.

…

Is this it? How anticlimactic. A vicious battle, and it ends like this. God fuckin damn, real life sure is boring.

Erika was one hot girl, I'll give her that much, a bit hot headed, but she's not just all talk, you could notice the intelligence wasn't bluff, it was there.

AGGHHHH!

FUCK, THAT HURTS! The armour's crushing my fucking bones!

They ain't mine though. Sure as hell doesn't feel like AGGGHHHHHH!

And I guess Johannes was a good guy too. His beard looked like shit though…

Oh well, I guess the sentence is set and the hammer has fallen...

Nice run I would say, though…

Would I be going to Heaven or Hell?

 **Hell.**

Agreed. Hold on…

Who are you?

 **Complicated question, for now let's go with… You.**

Oh, fuck off, I'm already hallucinating...but then again I'm really fucking lonely right now, so I believe you, and am listening.

 **Good riddance, that will save me a load of trouble. You always have been the docile kind.**

Yep, you _are_ me.

 **HAH! Oh yes, I believe we'll get along just fine in these final hours of your pretty pointless life! another casualty in a secret and sure-to-be forgotten war.**

 **Do you hear the Reaper whisper?**

Sure do.

 **Do you want death?**

…

I…

I don't know. I don't think so...

 **Figured. Too bad you don't get a choice, you're living, boy.**

Oh really? How?

 **Ever wondered how you managed to defeat the first monster?**

I mean, yeah… but not like they would tell me…

 **But I will. You see, there's a beast inside everyone, an animal instinct of self protection.**

 **Like the animal instinct it is, it won't listen to reason, nor anyone for that matter. It won't go away except in extreme cases.**

 **And It my boy. It just kicked in. That's me.**

So how am I going to-AFGGHHAAGH! FUCK!

 **And there goes your back. We're nearing the bottom you know.**

Bah, I'm used to being there. Watching the others dig one for themselves deeper against their will.

 **Oh God, what the fuck are you on about, you self-pitying fuck! What could you have done?**

Fight them, I dunno…

 **So another grave some mother or child will have to dig… Great fucking use it was…**

 **Honor is pointless, boy, and you have too much of it!**

What?

 **Honor is the wrong word, and I realize I am digressing too much.**

 **Do you want to live or not?**

...Sure! I'll give it a shot…

 **Oh God! you edgy fuck, two minutes ago you were all pumped, now you're like this, those fucking drugs they're pumping into you man, let's go. Let me do my magic, yes? I saved your ass, so let ME do it again!**

Fine! Take the wheel, subconscious… man?

Yeah, subconscious man…AGGHHHH! Hang on what drugs?

 **Ugh, just shut up, and have a good night.**

And thus, he took the wheel… and everything goes black.

 **Chapter 9**

 _"What do you mean I can't go back there?"_

"Erika, you have to understand it's too dangerous to go back there, not to mention we have to be realists here... he's likely dead. How could we even get _you_ back up? The balloons are one-time use only... " I hate this job.

And here I was thinking I was free of telling people their friends were dead. _I'm_ away _from the battlefield now, and this whole War against Lindwurm is probably a load of bull!_ Yeah right...

I fucking hate this job…

 _"But…"_

"Erika, look, we'll do our best. I understand that you want to pay back your debt but…"

 _"Fine… I get it. He's dead, this is a war, shit happens, move on, yatta yatta…"_

I feel Monika poking my arm, holding her walkie talkie on her other hand.

"Johannes, HQ called back, there's some sort of high frequency emission from around where WALK 00 is."

"Ok."

"And Erika's WALK should be around here. Damn thing is so large, and we can't find it!"

"Probably sank into this mud. It's everywhere… My poor Kubelwagen doesn't like this at all, heh… _sigh_ "

"...I'm gonna miss the kid…"

"You only talked to him for less than a minute."

"Well, I don't know, maybe I'm not as heartless as you...Sorry."

"You're right on, though."

I can feel her blue eyes glare at me. She continues.

"He just… His expression in the hospital when I first met him had something to it. It… I just felt so empathetic… A face of deep misery. Then the next day he showed up a little bit happier. With a smile on his face… You just… look, my "maternal instincts" kicked in I guess. I can't really explain it. A mix of pity and empathy I guess."

…

I just feel sad. A really depressing death, dying down there… And then there's the plug, which would keep him from dying for a day, and slowly intoxicate him to death like a fish in an aquarium…

That's if he wasn't crushed already…

Just what fucking situations are we putting these kids in… This is just torture…

 _"Schwarze, do you copy!?"_

Oh shit

"No sir, I request a repeat of the order."

 _"The faint energy spike we had detected before is getting stronger and stronger, meaning it's probably rising up. We can't distinguish if the signal from the Nidhoggr's core or WALK 00s. Stay alert on your way to WALK 01."_

"Copy, over." I put back down the walkie-talkie, while struggling with its long antenna keeping on hitting me in the face with each bump.

Monika turns to me again - "It's been...30 minutes since Erika's landing back here. If the monster was to come back, it would need to regenerate…"

"And here we go again…" _sigh_

"I'm serious here, those things can regenerate, they have to, we've seen the film from the first battle, the neck's nerves were regenerating, you saw it happen! The only reason it didn't regenerate completely was because of how the machine went berserk or whatever on it. Not to mention the Valkyries are probably capable of it to some extent, have you seen his hands?"

"Whose hands?"

"Bert's! That couldn't have been anything else, the way his wrists were regenerated in less than thirty minutes within that machine."

She goes quiet for a while, and then whispers:

"The top brass ordered for him to be kept in there for 15 minutes, after we got to the WALK, what other purpose was there? We were _all_ told to wait. All of us, except the Doctor and the commander.

They went up there, you weren't there, but I can tell you they did."

"Your point?"

"Oh right… those things regenerate slowly, the first Lindwurm showed signs of newly scar tissue. The Valkyries can too. And I think they can regenerate faster than the Lindwurm. If so…"

"If so?"

"Bert's alive down there."

"...Fine, let's say he is. How do we get down there, isn't he 500 meters under the sea?"

"..." She faces down, with a sad expression on her face.

" _Ah…_ You know, was the Baltic Sea even that deep? I sure don't remember it from Geography class."

"They tested several nuclear weapons in the sea bed around here. One of them made a really deep crater, and it opened up some sort of cave. He's probably down there. That's what they told me."

You and your good heart, praying for a stranger's survival.

WALK 01 is in sight.

"Look… I hope he's alive too, it's just that… it's hard for me to be positive…"

"...I understand." I look at her long beautiful brown hair. That's not a face that deserves unhappiness I would tell you that much.

 _sigh,_ such a world full of shit ain't it Pops?

Yeah… yeah it is.

Suddenly…

 _"Schwarze, the signal is accelerating up, fast!"_

I pick it up again "Copy, over!"

"Good thing we're at the objective. Remember, we need to get her back down there as fast as possible, before that thing decides to come back."

I stop the car and Monika and I step out.

"These things are so damn huge, even kneeling down."

We head towards Erika at a fast pace. Monika talks first.

"We need to go!"

Erika, predictively: "Why? I'm not leaving my Valkyrie! I need to make sure they don't scratch the paint."

"Yes you are, let's go!"

"Johannes, what's happening?"

"Something's coming and we're not taking chances. We're not gonna lose another pilot! We're evacuating you out of here."

"What, is the monster not dead? I told you I could've taken that thing to its grave, but you didn't let me! You just had to go and trust a damn rookie with the job, he wasn't trained on it, and the first battle was pure luck.."

"Yeah, yeah, look...fine, but can we go now?..."

I'm interrupted by the loudest bang I've ever heard.

We look back towards the sea and watch a gigantic plume of water rise and rise into the sky.

Then a bright flash. Like a rocket blast but far brighter. It turns towards us, and after less than two seconds it goes out. I grab my binos.

"I'll be damned…"

I sure love being wrong.

"I'll be damned!" I grab the walkie-talkie. "Commander, do you copy?"

 _"Yes Schwarze?"_

"I have sight of the WALK 00 a good few kilometres into the air. Falling quick."

 _"Well that makes our RADAR image make sense. Abort your current mission. Your new mission is to report where it lands, from your position."_

"Copy, sir, and over."

I glance backwards and see a stunned Erika looking at the sky.

"He still needs to land. And we'll see how that happens. I wonder…" I grab the walkie again.

"Commander do you copy, over?"

 _"Yes I do, over."_

"Can the entry plug be ejected? over."

 _"...Yes it can... I have given the order… Upon ejection, keep the WALK as your target... Ejection confirmed on our end, over."_

"...Can confirm it has ejected, over."

Erika asks if it has a parachute.

"Probably…? I honestly don't know, but I think it does, Monika?"

"I… I hope it does… It probably does, I mean , yours does, Erika...so yeah, he has one."

"Wow, you are not even sure if you put in parachutes? Just how disorganized are you?"

Monika shoots back in an annoyed manner at the kid: "Don't blame us, blame the country… not to mention, that WALK was put together in a hurry, and it's a sheer miracle it even works."

I go on and add: "Parachutes in the entry plug, hah! We didn't even expect the pilot to survive the initial surgery to install that interface thing, so much for a single battle in that thing, but by some miracle, he did. WALK 00 is not the same type of machine as your WALK. It's like comparing one of those old "Königstigers" we have in storage down there, to one of those fancy E 50s. Two completely different machines."

 _"...Plug transponder detected, activating the parachute."_

I can hear Monika thank God, and Erika breathe a quiet sigh of relief. Bert, you wonderful bastard, did you make her fall heads over heels for you in less than a day? Monika, that eternally maternal woman, I understand, but Erika doesn't strike me as that type.

I'm jealous! Ah how I missed this feeling of relief for...70 minutes.

Suddenly, my 'target' hits the island, and the ground trembles from the impact and a massive bang screams out, with a visible white shockwave disappearing just as quickly as it appeared."

"Commander, the WALK has hit the Northeast corner of the island, over."

 _"Copy that, the plug will soon hit land as well, not far from WALK 00s impact area. Your orders are now to head over there, immediately, and recover the pilot, dead or alive. Over."_

"Copy that, over." I turn to the girls and tell them to get in the car, and soon we're heading over to the wreckage and the plug landing site.

I tell Monika to keep her eyes on the parachute and plug, as I give her my binos.

"He should be right over head."

As we head along the dirt road as fast as this little thing can drag us, the crashed beast comes into view.

"Jeez…"

A very macabre sight, of ragged edges and tens of tons of twisted dark grey steel, with... blood I guess? spewing out of the cracks in the armour. The dirt road ends in this newly formed crater ahead of us.

I stop the car out of curiosity, and tell them to stay, while asking Monika to call out for me when the plug lands. I notice Erika doesn't look fine at all, and signal to Monika to take care of her.

No wonder she's not fine, this thing looks straight out of a gore flick.

As I approach the wreck, the full scale hits me: molten metal fused together from the sheer speed and impact, flattened in a mold of the land below; this blood-like liquid -no, it _is_ blood, no question about it- flowing out through the near infinite number of cracks in the armour plate with a giant white grazed and scratched Balkenkreuz plastered, in front of me. The entire thing smells of burnt flesh.

I don't like what this reminds me of. Really don't.

I succumb to the temptation of touching the blood-stained plate. However, as my hand approaches the surface, I notice the sheer heat emanating off of it.

"Johannes!"

"Coming!" Right. The plug.

As I board my seat again, Monika whispers to me that Erika doesn't handle blood very well.

I murmur back: "Tell her it's not blood."; with her answering that she told her that, but she didn't believe her.

We get going on to the mud pit depression where Bert landed. This damn mushy ground is covered in seaweed from those waves the battle caused.

The sheer scale of these battles...

I've seen my fair share at just 28 years old, but I would say that this is beyond any of my wildest...nightmares.

…

As the plug comes into view, it becomes clear that the landing was rough… very rough.

The parachutes probably didn't slow it down anywhere near enough.

I hear Monika damn the technicians: "I told them to go easy on the rocket fuel so it didn't eject too fast, but _noooo_ , they had to go and load a full tank! The poor kid suffered at least 30 Gs when the parachutes opened, and the retro-thrusters fired. He's knocked out for sure…"

I check back on Erika again, she has a somewhat worried look on her face, an ever so slight one, and her silence is strange. I ask if she's ok.

She's startled: "O-oh, of course! I just worry for the safety of my fellow pilot, t-that's all there is to it."

 _Sure._

Hang on, 30 Gs? Holy fuck… Kid's knocked out, that's for sure.

I stop the car and me and Monika leave it, Erika following suit soon afterwards.

As we wade through the mud, and get closer, something becomes clear. The damage isn't just from the impact. This thing was knocked up badly.

Monika starts talking quietly to herself. The damage becomes clearer. This tin can got a whole section of the outer shell ripped off. I climb up on it.

"The hell are you doing?"

"Checking something."

Yep. "The inside of this is screwed. Filled with saltwater. All of it has to be replaced."

"Oh God… The replacement plug is in Essen, in the Krupp factory. It'll take weeks for it to get here."

"Let's hope those things don't attack again. We need as many units as we can."

So far, our most reliable unit has been Bert's.

"Erika, did the Paris GEHIRN Division mention anything about WALK 02? That's where it was being built."

"Well… there were only rumors going around about the higher ups yelling at each other over the paint scheme, how there was no pilot for it, and problems with the… workforce, and how it wasn't going to get finished any time soon, because the alloys were very hard to come by. You know how Germany and Burgundy get along."

"Damnit. And the Mass Production prototype?"

"Stuck in development hell. The exact words of the head engineer on it, who regularly complained to me, of all people, about it. Apparently, everyone wanted to add their own modifications, and they couldn't get any plans sent to the parts manufacturing plant in Paris, an old Renault factory and the assembling plant was a dockyard in Antwerp, I think. The only place big enough to assemble the thing together. Not to mention the LCL is getting harder to extract over in the African colonies. Tanganyika I believe."

How the fuck does she remember all this?

I ask her: "Hang on, the LCL comes from Africa?" as I climb down the plug and make my way to the other side.

"I only know where it comes from, but if you asked how, the GESTAPO would place you on a watchlist."

"Jeez...So... we're stuck with one unit. Great."

"A _valuable_ one." Erika corrected me.

"Of course! But a single unit can only do so much."

We make it out to the back and I thank the Gods for the door not being buried under the dirt.

"Now, let's see how he's doing." I bring out the handle and turn it. The door complains but finally opens.

A mix of sea water and LCL flows out. When it stopped, Monika steps in.

"He's knocked out alright… Barely any interface activity… since 1707 hours?... It's 1831 hours right now. Erika landed at 1750 something…"

Huh. I add:

"And the balloons activated at... 1656 hours I think. Something's not adding up."

"Same thing happened last time, when this thing went berserk… Well, I guess that's how the Berserk works then. Pilots' lights go out, berserk kicks in."

"Berserk?" I look back at Erika:

"It's our code name I guess for what happened in the first battle and in this one, apparently. Basically, it looks like this thing's got a mind of its own. And it's one of a rabid dog."

"So that's how the monsters were defeated…"

"Yeah, then again… We don't know if it's himor the machine going nuts."

Monika calls me out and asks for my help in carrying him.

I get inside the plug, and a very depressing sight unfolds: there's not a single source of light in this entire place other than the open door. Loose wiring, bent stainless steel and broken plastic, everywhere. Why is it so grey? And, holy shit it's cramped in here.

I kneel down to Monika's level to pick him up.

"I've already disconnected him."

"Ok."

Damn he's heavy.

Erika nearly scares me when she asks if he's gonna be ok.

"Yeah, probably, he should wake up soon, it was just the Gs."

We carry him on to the car.

But an issue arises:

"How do we put him in there, safely, with Erika there as well?"

Monika suddenly smirks.

"Hmmm… Erika."

"Y-yes?"

"Could you sit down in your seat please?"

"Ok?"

She does so, and Monika continues:

"Erika, could you ever be so kind and allow our poor knocked out pilot the honor of laying his head on your lap, so we can lay him across the seats?"

Oh God… Predictably, Erika goes redder than a tomato:

"W...I...Uhh...W-w-what are you saying!"

"C'mon, he's gonna be knocked out the whole time! There's nothing to worry!"

I ask Monika how tall Bert is:

"Around 180 centimetres, why?"

"The car is only 160 cm wide. His legs will be hanging on the outside in your proposed setup, and that'll do more harm than good."

Monika looks down, disappointed. She brightens up again:

"Still, that thing's got no way to secure him safely. Therefore, Erika will have to be holding him in place. He could have his head resting on your shoulder."

Her face, which had recovered somewhat from the previous tease, goes back to the light crimson colouring it had before:

"W-w-w-w-w-w-what? Wa-wa-why me? It...It would be inappropriate! And-and I barely know him!"

"God damnit Monika, you're just being creepy to her…"

"I'm just teasing her, relax!"

"Can we put him in the car already?"

"Fine…"

We lay him down on the back seat, and, to Erika's "horror", he starts leaning towards her.

I enter the car, and start it, Monika following suit.

I look back again and can't help but start laughing.

His head is on her lap, and she is redder than ever, looking down at him, hands up.

Monika is also laughing her ass off.

"... Oh God… Look...kid, are you really that uncomfortable?"

"I-I-I-I-I-I… uhh… I… N-n-not really… Just… give me a moment."

"Sure thing."

Monika turns to me:

"She's so easy to tease… Oh by the way: the Doc ain't here today because he had to go to… the Waffenamt HQ in Germania I think?"

"Oh really?" Seems like they're getting some severe budget problems. I don't see anything else really.

 **Germania, Ministry of Armaments**

"Herr Tabhert! So nice to see you again! How are you doing?"

"Very well, Herr Speer! And you?"

"As best as I can in such a horrible situation. This damned economy… _sigh…_ Now Doctor, I assume you are aware of why you were called here?"

"I believe it was about the running costs and the budget of the Project?"

"Yes, but I would prefer to discuss this outside the building. This damn summer heat makes this building unbearable, you know?"

"Indeed, especially for me. I haven't been in this warm of an environment since working down there in the Gibraltar Dam! And I can assure you, I do not miss that hellish place."

We both laugh as we make it down the stairs onto the street. We board a Mercedes 300D limousine.

"Driver, take us to the nearest park, please."

The car starts going. Speer, in the corner of his beige leather seat, turns to me, smirking:

"How's the "war" going?"

"Rather well, I would dare say. That is, ignoring the costs, which admittedly are… _excessive._ "

His face turns stern, smirk being completely gone now:

"You're putting it nicely Albrecht. Your program better be worth it's money, because right now we're dumping 20 billion Reichsmarks into it _each month._ I hope you understand that, given our current situation which can be best described as "in the shitter", this is completely unsustainable! Once we arrive at the park I'll tell you how you can fix this, or, given how everything in this damned economy and how it's likely impossible to fix it, to _attenuate_ this."

He takes a deep breath.

"I know that these _Wunderwaffe_ programs are usually pointless money sinks. _However_ , your program is the only one who got us somewhere.

You managed to get a prototype up and running, and get both the Wehrmacht and the SS in on it.

I don't know how you managed this, each time I talk to Heydrich I just want to choke him, and don't get me started on Goering. But you managed to get them all on-board with this? I would like to ask you _how."_

"I showed them something that deeply interested them. And progress. I showed them a working machine. Mind you, it is far from a utopic marriage. I feel as if the entire organisation just wants to implode into civil war or something."

Speer bursts into laughter.

"Ohohoho, my boy… if you knew how bad things really were…"

…

The car stops. We're at a park with the Volkshalle in the distance. Mighty as ever. Intimidating as ever.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

"A masterful use of engineering and ancient architecture, that's for sure."

Speer laughs. We start our walk.

After a while he stops and turns to me.

"Albrecht, there's yet _another_ war coming. Hitler's very ill. He won't last much longer, I can guarantee you. He doesn't look well at all. The moment he kicks the bucket, the upper echelons are going to burn. And it will take the country down with it. Goering, Heydrich, Bormann… All of these leeches, these snakes, they'll want to control the nation, and take it down with them for good. If they take control, then I don't know what's worse."

He looks around before continuing, in a quieter tone:

"Those three sons of the Devil or the Judeo-Bolsheviks we love to blame so much."

I can't help but smirk a little.

"Either way, Hitler told me he was planning on picking me as his successor."

I look at him incredulously.

"What can I say, he has been my mentor. And I can't help but mentioning the fact I do indeed feel bad for the old man. I have spent the last 20 or so years with him. But I doubt those bastards in the SS and the Wehrmacht care about him, or his country. Snakes, all of them. If there's one thing I hate is hypocrisy. And good God, is that whole lot a bunch of hypocrites I want to purge them, kill them all. And they want to the same to me and my lot as well… You know what recipe this is for?"

"Civil war…"

"Exactly."

"My friend. In such case, I declare loyalty to the man the Führer appoints as his successor."

"Oh really? And are you going to use your Valkyries to vanquish our enemies?"

"That is the plan yes."

He looks at me incredulously, and eventually asks me:

"How would these machines work in combat? And can you secure their allegiance to our cause?"

"To be completely honest, I'm not sure of it myself, but those things are nigh indestructible, if not Gods incarnate. And as for their allegiance… Well, how do I put it… Our best pilot was a Ukrainian who, despite being of German descent, was confused with a dead runaway communist who was hiding in Ukraine, and sent to a forced labor camp and turned into a slave, _by mistake._ His file is basically a horror story. And the other pilot has been recorded as saying that "The SS are a bunch of cunts". So yes, we do have their allegiance."

We continue walking.

"How old are they?"

"16, both of them."

He looks incredulously at me again, but then his face turns into a sad smile:

"I guess they fit around the same age as those students who keep protesting."

I whisper to him:

"You mean your supporters?"

He smirks, but abandons his expression and continues:

"I don't feel very comfortable with sending children to fight our war. But then again, not a single king or emperor or any head of state for that matter cared about that fact, so who am I to change that… But I would like to be a little bit more humane."

"If a true war is coming, being humane will only be a weakness on our side. We both know our enemies won't be humane in any way, now don't we? We can leave our human side until after the war is won."

"You are correct on that one. Fighting fire with fire… _sigh…_ just excellent. But how are you going to deal with the army, and the SS?"

"My second in command will most definitely oppose me. But I have countermeasures. You see, the Grenzwacht Garrison which is stationed in my island is composed of a bunch of unwanted misfits, mostly sent there as punishment because of disobeyed orders and the like. Said orders many times being of the sort of "shoot that entire village" or "burn that village". I hand picked them, case by case. Especially my tactical commander.

A 20-something year old veteran named Schwarze, once a part of the "Ghost Division" and then the Dirlewanger Brigade, sent there because he was accused of stealing a car from his commanding general, but in reality, his parents were a part of the former Communist Party. Therefore, his superiors wanted him dead and to this purpose applied him to Himmler's Banditkampf initiative, mostly with the intent of having him being eaten alive by the other members. But he survived, and escaped that hell hole. I like to surround myself with people who share my views."

"Oh, how I wish I could have such a privilege!"

"Hehe, oh well. Anyway, the Waffen-SS brigade stationed there is a sub-standard Panzer brigade equipped with those God awful E-100s, while our soldiers have enough Panzerfausts to destroy their tanks ten times over. I also should have the GESTAPO there under control."

"And how did you manage that?"

"I was exceedingly lucky. Turns out the man sent there was an easily bribable Goering look alike and very incompetent. I gave him free reign, and I doubt there's a single agent there that actually cares about his "duty". But caution is still paramount."

"Of course. Now, for the budget."

"It's admittedly a bit bloated. But, we can cut back on the R department, so that should save you a couple billion RMs. Our main expense is steel. So if you could get some way of getting it cheaper, then that's another billion cut off. Now, I don't see anything else."

"Why so much steel?"

"One of our machines is… a bit wild. Those things are… alive. And this one can be limited by weight. By slapping some 150 tons of steel on it, it's severely hampered, and therefore easier to control. And it has to be special steel, of a certain alloy, so it can bend and flex easier. A single kilo costs 3000 Reichsmarks."

"Hold on a minute… Alive?"

I smirk.

"Herr Speer, my dear friend, Project Valkyrie is about playing God. That's what we're doing. And so far, it's going rather well."


End file.
